Ties that Bind
by Pheonix500
Summary: This started out small and rapidly became a fan novel founded in the 2012 series but including characters from across the franchise. I bit off a bit more than I could chew with this one, but it was fun ride. The Turtles and their new allies must save the world from an ancient evil. Warning, it will be a few chapters before the Turtles are introduced (Ch. 12 & 14, aww baby turtles).
1. Introduction

**Ties That Bind**

 _2015_

Dedicated to Jack who started this with a careless, teasing comment.

 **Disclaimer:** The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are neither my creation (that honor belongs to Eastman and Laird) nor my property (I think Viacom owns them presently) and I have no intention from profiting from this. It's just for fun. Which is why I am happily turning it loose onto the internet. If anyone wants to use this story and my take on any of these proprietary characters for their own original work, alternate version of events, prequel, sequel, one shots or art, have at it and have fun. I really would like to see what comes of it.

I used the internet to research the many things I lacked knowledge of, but needed to incorporate. While useful, the internet is sadly not reliably accurate, so for those in the know of anything historical, geographic, linguistic, cultural or in all other ways real world fact based, I apologize in advance for any errors.

Also, this work pulls in characters from across the franchise and uses the 2012 Nickelodeon series is the foundation (for seasons 1 through the episode The Deadly Venom in season 3). While familiarity with that particular series or the franchise in general is not necessary to appreciate this (although it one point you may be like 'why did she gloss over the turtles saving the world part, it sounded like it would have been awesome?' to which I recommend watching the show that I'm not trying to recap if it doesn't specifically involve the events of this story if for no other reason than it is super awesome) it will certainly enrich the experience. Also, believe it or not, there really aren't OCs in this story, so most unfamiliar characters can be looked up (at least when you get to the point where their actual names are revealed).

As for the rating, I was a little unclear on the system. Compared to movie ratings, I consider this work PG 13, if that helps. To let everyone know, although this piece is not nightmarishly gory, there are some detailed and violent combat scenes. And while there is nothing sexually explicit, there is some sexual violence, not graphicly described, because I don't want to. Also, the Obsession story arc is dark and concerns taboo subject matter that some readers may find disturbing (which is ironic as I borrowed that character from the rather innocent 1987 series). You have been warned. Read at your own discretion.

I have included a list of the more obscure weapon names (to make them easier to look up if need be) for the various characters and a list of the different story arcs for reader reference (in alphabetical order), but reading them first might contain story spoilers about some of the characters. You have been warned.

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* * *

 **Character Weapons** (for ones that might need to be looked up to identify):

 **Alopex** – Kamas, shruiken

 **Angel Bridge** – Escrima sticks

 **April O'Neil** – Tessen

 **Hamato Donatello** – Bo, naginata, shruiken, halberd

 **Hamato Michelangelo** – Nunchaku, kusari-gama, shruiken, kamas

 **Hamato Leonardo** – Twin katanas, kogatanas, tanto, shruiken, bow and arrow

 **Hamato Raphael** – Sais, shruiken, tekkou-kagi

 **Hamato Yoshi/Splinter** – Cane, shruiken, tekagi-shuko (bagh nakh)

 **Mei Pieh Chi/Venus di Milo** – Fei biao (flying dart), jōhyō (rope dart), húdié shuāngdāo (butterfly swords)

 **Mokoshan Umeko/Ninjara** – Katana  & wakizashi (daishou), shinai

 **Oroku Karai/Hamato Miwa** – Shikomizue jujiken, shruiken

 **Oroku Saki/Shredder** – Tekkou-kagi, shruiken

 **Tang Amaya/Headhunter** – Wakizashi, manriki, kunai, shruiken

* * *

 **Plot Arcs:**

Three Main Sections

 **Past** – Taking place chronologically before the first episode of the 2012 Nickelodeon series

 **Present** – Taking place chronologically during seasons one through three (up to the episode The Deadly Venom) of the 2012 Nickelodeon series

 **Future** – Taking place chronologically after the season three episode The Deadly Venom of the 2012 Nickelodeon series

* * *

 **Brotherhood** – Plot arc for the turtles and their family

 **Defying Fate** – Plot arc for April O'Neil

 **Fallen** – Plot arc for Angel Bridge

 **Filial Piety** – Plot arc for John Chin/Chung I

 **Huntress** – Plot arc for Alopex

 **Lost** – Plot arc for Oroku Karai/Hamato Miwa

 **Loyalty and Honor** – Plot arc for Dirk Savage

 **Obligation of Heaven** – Plot arc for Mei Pieh Chi/Venus di Milo

 **Obsession** – Plot arc for Arthur James Howard

 **Redemption** – Plot arc for Arnold Jones

 **The Coming Storm** – Plot arc for the Dragonlord

 **The Cost of Power** – Plot arc for Oroku Saki/Shredder

 **The Flow of Time** – Plot arc for Marcellus Timagetus, Marcus Sandelheim/Lord Simultaneous, Savant Romero, Brian Tilley and Renet Tilley/Lily Howard

 **The Price of Wisdom** – Plot arc for Hamato Yoshi/Splinter

 **To Overcome** – Plot arc for Lisa Webster/Mona Lisa

 **To Trust** – Plot arc for Mokoshan Umeko/Ninjara

 **Vendetta** – Plot arc for Tang Amaya/The Headhunter

 **Vigilante Justice** – Plot arc for Casey Jones

 **Vision Quest** – Plot arc for Lily Howard/Renet Tilley

 **What Lies in Shadow** – Plot arc for Kitsune


	2. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Qin Shi Huang bowed low before the Jade Emperor in Shangdi, marveling that he'd reached the pinnacle of his life's achievement. Beside him knelt his first and most treasured son Fu Su and on his other side, his most trusted general, Meng Tian. They had never been within the gates of Heaven before and were quite overwhelmed, but this was not Qin Shi Huang's first time here.

Years before he had boldly presented himself before the Jade Emperor and was gifted with the Mandate of Heaven. Since then, he had more than proven himself worthy. He had toppled the failing and broken Zhou Dynasty, united all of China and completely changed the way his people were governed. After what he'd done the world would never be the same again.

More than that, he had exposed the corruption of Fenghuang, the sacred bird and Shenlong, the spiritual dragon of storms. Their treachery had been the downfall of the Zhou and he had proudly stepped in, toppled them and saved his people.

The Jade Emperor's voice echoed throughout the space around him and within his head, although it was addressing the bound deities, off to the side of him and his companions.

"For your betrayal, you shall be punished! No longer are you Fenghuang and Shenlong. The souls of the most virtuous among human mortals shall take your places in that honor."

Fenghuang, a beautiful conglomeration of all birds, and Shenlong, with his fierce claws and azure scales, screamed and burned to ash, releasing their souls into the air. The lights of their spirits were dim and tainted.

Within the ashes of their bodies, two bright new souls manifested. All Qin could tell was that one was male and one was female. He couldn't help but wonder who they had once been. In a burst of light and energy, the ashes swirled around the souls, growing and reforming until Fenghuang and Shenlong were reborn in all their glory. The Jade Emperor now addressed the ruined souls.

"You shall not even have the comfort of being together in your punishment. He who was Shenlong, I will imprison in the spirit world between life and death. There you will remain for eternity, alone, neither alive nor dead."

An ornate mirror formed out of thin air behind one of the souls and it shrieked as it was drawn in, hitting the surface of the mirror as though it were water. The surface became living mercury with tendrils of fluid, reflective metal snaking out, entangling the soul and dragging it inside before the source became solid once more. The Jade Emperor switched his attention back to his human guests.

"Emperor Qin, for your service, your most worthy son and all his descendants will have the honor of guarding this soul, keeping him imprisoned and protecting all humanity from his evil. Approach Fu Su."

Qin was taken aback at the announcement and remained stunned as his son and heir approached the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor touched Fu Su's head and Qin could feel the divine power flow into his son and almost sense the gift of secret knowledge his child was receiving. He was deeply proud, but at the same time concerned for his people.

Fu Su was to be emperor after him and maintain the mighty dynasty that he had begun. While his son's tendency towards compassion had caused him to wonder if Fu Su would have the will of steel necessary to protect and guide the people of their new country, he had never doubted his son's honor, intelligence or strength. He had been training Fu Su to be a warrior king and could think of no better future emperor to take his place when the time came.

But that path was gone. Who could he entrust China to now? As he considered his remaining children, he decided that his son Hu Hai would be the next most reasonable candidate, but was so flawed compared to Fu Su. No matter, he could teach Hu Hai, train him to rule. Until Hu Hai was ready, he simply could not afford to die.

Fu Su turned back to Meng Tian.

"I cannot do this alone. I will need disciples to aid me." Meng Tian bowed to him.

"It would be an honor to be your first disciple." The Jade Emperor nodded and turned to the newly reborn deities.

"Shenlong. You will carry the mirror to a safe place and create a temple to protect it. Fenghuang. You will guide them to the mirror temple, so that they and whomever they deem worthy will alone know its location." Shenlong and Fenghuang bowed their heads to him.

Finally, the Jade Emperor returned his attention to the last remaining soul.

"She who was Fenghuang. You are banished from Shangdi and China, forever humbled and in exile." In a blinding burst of light and a cry of agony, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 1: The Flow of Time I

**Part I: Past**

 **The Flow of Time I:**

Marcellus Timagetus blinked open dry crusty eyes as he slowly became aware of himself. His body was on fire with uncountable cuts and bruises and he lay in something thick and viscous. Grabbing a handful, he examined it and determined it to be a mixture of blood and soil. Too much blood to be his, despite all the cuts.

With a moan, he pushed himself into a sitting position and stared about him in open mouthed shock. Corpses were strewn everywhere, as far as the eye could see, in all directions. There were clouds of swarming flies and carrion birds everywhere and the air smelled of entrails and death.

He remembered now. His entire legion was destroyed, barring a few stragglers such as himself. They'd been ambushed by barbarians. Who would have thought that barbarians were capable of such advanced tactics?

Obviously not Manius Flamininus. The man was a veteran of Thermopylae against King Antiochus III the Great. He was a consul of the Republic. He'd been on campaigning to be a Tribune of the Plebeians. Who would have thought he'd be taken down by people who couldn't even speak?

The northern campaign was supposed to be intense and brutal. Their enemies were numerous, strong and relentlessly brave. But they weren't supposed to be intelligent. Marcellus began to reevaluate everything he was supposed to believe about the barbarians. What if they weren't inferior? Just different? It called a lot of things into question.

He forced himself to his feet, picked a direction and began to walk, hoping desperately to find other survivors. Not that anyone would recognize him in this state. He looked more like a shambling corpse than a soldier of Rome.

At least it was just the one legion that had been escorting the consul to take command of all the legions in the north. It was a terrible setback, but Rome would not be defeated by barbarians.

Why did he even care at this point? Everyone he knew, known for years, had just died. He had no other family beyond his comrades. He'd been waiting on marrying until after he returned from the wars, wealthy and successful. So much for that. It felt like he'd been walking forever and the ground was still littered with bodies.

Suddenly the air in front of him shimmered and tore as though it were parchment with an entirely different world on the other side. One that glowed with an eerie red and blue light. He didn't understand how it could be both simultaneously but it was.

Out of the tear crawled a creature. The abomination looked like the horrific lovechild of a centipede and a crayfish. His first instinct was to slay the monstrosity. But he must have lost his sword during the battle.

Casting about, he found a nearby corpse with a serviceable weapon and snatched it up, trying not to think about the gore that covered it. Poised to strike, he realized that the thing was injured. Badly injured. Its shrieks were its death throes.

His second impulse was to put it out of its misery. But for some reason, he reached out to touch it. The action was almost a compulsion as his rational mind screamed at him to stop, to kill it, that this was a terrible idea.

Its flesh was so strange under his touch. It was moist and silky, but not really there, like touching incredibly solid air. The creature expired and glowed with a bright blue light that poured into his body, charging him as though he'd been struck by lightning.

When the pain and light faded and he finally stopped screaming, he noted that he was unharmed, but somehow fundamentally different than he had been before. For reasons he would never be able to explain later, he stepped forward into and through the tear in the world, disappearing in a blinding burst of light.

* * *

The light cleared and he found himself on a floating island in a glowing red world of floating islands that had no proper orientation to each other. There was one far above him that was completely upside down and many around him either right side up, from his perspective, upside down or various angles of sideways, all adrift in this space.

Some were stone. Some were made of gems and crystals. Some were full of exotic plants that he had no words to describe. It seemed as though each island were filled with small pieces of the world he knew and countless others that he didn't as though this place was a construct of all worlds. It was incredible.

In the air and on the islands all around him, more abominations, thousands of them maybe more, all glowing blue, battled in violent, chaotic bursts of energy. It was beautiful and terrible all at once.

In the bright explosions of their deaths, he saw windows into many worlds, his own and others he did not recognize. Some instinct told him that these worlds being disrupted by this violence. As though the battles of these monsters were throwing them off some proper course they should be on. It had to stop.

Well, he was a soldier of the Republic of Rome. He brought light, order and reason to places of chaos, darkness and ignorance. This would be no different. Gripping his sword, he strode forward into the fray.

* * *

Marcellus stood before his forge, working, driven by instinct and inspiration. Taking a moment to rest, he ran a hand through his disheveled dark hair, trying to ignore the rough beard. It hadn't really changed since he'd come to this place. He'd eventually cleaned himself and repaired his damaged armor, but he still looked worse for wear.

He wasn't certain how long he'd been here. There was no sense of time in this place. All he was certain of was that he'd been here longer than he'd been in his own world before. Whether he'd been here mere years or long millennia though eluded him. Whichever it had been, it was long enough to conquer as a proud Roman warrior should.

The creatures here were mindless and instinctual and had no sense of tactics, planning or reason. Despite the numbers, it had been easy. He'd quickly learned that, not only did he not actually need to be standing on any solid surface, he could teleport about at will. Moving from island to island, he'd built tools, weapons and traps, slaying the battling creatures in droves.

And yet they still attacked each other as much as him, despite the serious threat he posed to them. But as he annihilated large swaths of them, he discovered that the remnants bowed down to him in subservience and obeyed his will once he cowed them, serving not only as his own forces, but as his workforce as well.

In this way, he'd proceeded until they were all dead or under his command. The endless violence had finally stopped and he set the survivors to build him a great fortress as he moved about to examine the harm their war had done.

With some experimentation, he realized that he could see into other worlds, other times. He could travel too, although it was painful and difficult. And he could make changes. He could see the harm this war had done to other places, to their times and histories. There was a proper continuum for each and one by one, he'd carefully set them right. It was painstakingly difficult and meticulous work, but he felt certain that it was important. Very important.

As he organized and categorized the various worlds, mostly numerically, he'd come to call this dimension the seventy ninth. But that seemed insufficient as it was completely unique among the rest. Although this place had the power to alter time everywhere else it seemed to possess no time of its own. He began to think of this place as Null-Time, rather than the seventy ninth dimension.

And as his skill grew through the practice of his responsibilities, he soon thought of himself as the Lord and Master of All Time and Space. Arrogant perhaps, but if one could control and move through time and space of not one world, but every world, what other title could there be?

But controlling the power was difficult. He needed a tool. Something to focus it, so that he could easily, effortlessly access his power and control it with absolute accuracy. And so he worked at his forge, allowing his intuition to guide him. It had never steered him wrong before. Time passed. Or not. This was Null-Time after all. But his work was finally complete.

It was a long cylindrical bronze rod about the length of his leg. At the bottom, the metal shaped as an eagle claw held a shimmering purple, quartz orb. At the top, a clawed hand of blue stone held an hourglass. The hourglass was set in an ornate gold base at its top bottom. The glass itself was filled with glowing blue sand that emanated the life and energy that was the essence of Null-Time. Gazing upon his finished work, he decided to call it the Scepter of Time.

Reverently, he lifted it up and felt himself change. His skin was still tan and battle scarred and his eyes and hair still dark, but now his hair was cut short, ordained with a laurel and his beard groomed and trimmed.

Instead of his battered armor, he wore a rich toga of wool and linen, brightly colored and richly embroidered like the toga picta worn by victorious military commanders on their triumphant parade through the streets of Rome. His sandals were expensive and white, like those of the Senators.

He set the scepter down and his old appearance returned. Interesting. Perhaps the artifact he'd made granted more than mere power and control. Perhaps it granted authority in this place. Lifting the scepter again, he'd never felt more like the Lord and Master of All Space and Time.


	4. Chapter 2: What Lies in Shadow I

**What Lies in Shadow I:**

Tatsuo Takeshi lay dying in the snow. There were only moments left at most. Around him lay a thousand corpses of Ashikaga Yuu's once great army. The cowardly daimyo that he had served had set a trap for him here in the mountains, fearing his power.

Well he had shown them. He had defeated them all and it had only cost him his leg. The blood loss was making his vision spotty now. The victory was a bitter one. He had such great ambitions. For it all to end here, like this, it was disappointing to say the least.

"You do not have to die now." A woman's voice whispered into his ear. He could barely make out her silhouette as his sight betrayed him.

"Nothing can save me now."

"With magic I can save your life and make your body whole."

"At what cost?"

"Fulfill your ambitions. Fight, conquer and become great. Crush your enemies beneath you and build a legacy to last the ages. For that I can save you, but you must decide now." He smiled. That was a price he could gladly pay. And who knew just who he would start with.

"I agree. Restore me." For a moment, he was enveloped in excruciating pain. His missing leg burned like molten stone. It took the full extent of his pride and will not to scream and sob. As it was he could not keep completely stoic and silent.

Then the pain was gone, leaving him raw, exhausted and panting. Lightheaded, he sat up and gazed in wonder at his right leg. It had been severed above the knee, leaving him to bleed out into the snow. Now, though covered in blood, it was the same as it had been before the battle. He experimentally leapt to his feet and tried some movements. Absolutely no loss of power or agility.

He could sense her there, watching him. For the first time, he was able to get a good look at her. She had luxurious, thick black hair, tied loosely back and long enough to trail in the snow at her feet. She wore an expensive purple kimono with red trim, a red obi and a flower pattern. He couldn't see her face through the fox festival mask she wore.

"Who are you?" Her voice was melodious when she responded.

"Kitsune." A fox demon! He knew they could take the form of beautiful women. She was a trickster and untrustworthy. He glanced down at his restored leg. Still, she had kept her word and saved him. And she seemed to know that he was destined for greatness. Perhaps she was an Inari messenger from the gods to see that he fulfilled his destiny.

Her gaze traveled across the bloody field of battle, taking in the great many corpses.

"I assume you are ronin now." He laughed.

"True. Although Ashikaga Yuu was never really worthy of my service. I am honorably free of him now."

"Yes, Tatsuo Takeshi. You are." It knew his name? It did not matter. That name was given to him by Ashikaga Yuu as a reward for his incredible prowess. It belonged to a servant of an unworthy man. He was no longer that servant. He would choose his own name now.

"Not Tatsuo Takeshi. I am Koga Takuza now. My life is mine and mine alone and I will do with it what I desire."

"You could found your own clan. One that would dominate the wars between the daimyos. There is no better time to rise to power." She was right. This was his chance to make his mark and ascend to greatness. He would found a clan that would stand the test of time and influence Japan for ages.

He glanced back at the snow behind him and saw the bloody footprint that his newly restored leg had left. What an appropriate symbol for his legacy.

* * *

Kitsune stood beside the nervous swordsmith, concentrating on her magic as he worked. He didn't like her and he especially did not like her here in his forge, but he would never defy Koga Takuza even in the most subtle of ways.

As she had intended, he had cut a bloody swath across Japan, cowing the daimyos and utterly destroying even the most powerful of enemies. The name Koga and clan Koga was known and feared across the entire country, although because of his iconic symbol, they were more often called the Foot clan instead by people fearing to invoke his name lest they summon him.

Now was the time for another enduring symbol. One of unbreakable authority. The smith continued his nervous work, trying his best to ignore her as he reshaped the weapons and armor of Koga's most powerful enemies, taken as trophies, into a helmet, the Kuro Kabuto.

Well most of his enemies. Hamato was still out there. Koga had personally forged his trophies into usable metal, but had engaged the smith to create them into a helmet.

As the smith created the physical structure of the helmet, she drew on the energy of the original owners and of its source material, Koga's own energy as he remade them, to imbue it with power, giving its wearer undeniable authority and tying it to the existence of the clan. If it were to be destroyed, the clan would follow, but as long as it existed, so too would the clan. Lastly and secretly, she bound the wearer to her. Someday, one who wore this helmet would see all her plans into fruition.

As she laced the helmet with her final spell, she sensed something powerful within the metal. Something she had missed before. She reached for it, drawing it out to her. It was almost overwhelming, but by sheer force of will, she tamed it and felt it coalesce into a medallion in her hands with the character for metal stamped upon it. Interesting. This was an unforeseen development, but possibly quite useful. She would need to look into it.


	5. Chapter 3: The Flow of Time II

**The Flow of Time II:**

Marcus Sandelheim ran frantically towards the fire, holding only a bucket of water. It was heavy in is nine-year-old hands and sloshed over the edges, burning his hands with Weinsberg's December cold despite the heat of the flames. The flying stone debris from the trebuchet strikes to the city's fortifications had destroyed many homes and scattered hearth fires to ignite the surrounding buildings.

He flung the bucket's contents into the flames to no effect as they gradually built to a roar. This wasn't working. The well was near, but a single bucketful at a time wasn't going to stop the flames. His master's forge was going to burn and along with it, his future as a blacksmith. No! His parents had given everything to buy him this apprenticeship before their untimely deaths. It wasn't fair.

Wiping the angry tears from his eyes, he spied a long iron cylinder. Well it couldn't be pure iron, but instead some uneven mix of metals, given that it had curled in on itself when his master had heated it, hoping to make some reinforcement for the gates. Hmm. He'd still need something else.

His frozen bare foot landed on something other than stone and he looked down to see one of his master's long thick leather gloves. Grabbing some leather straps from the scrap pile next to the building, he tightly affixed the glove to the end of the metal tube and used the small dagger he carried in his belt, one he'd snuck from his master's workshop, to cut off a few fingers of the glove, connecting the holes, heedless of the beating this mutilation of his master's property would earn him.

He then awkwardly dragged the pipe back to the well. Holding the glove to aim it at the forge, he jammed the metal tube down into the water, causing a jet of liquid to fly into the fire. It worked! It really worked! He repeated the motion until the flames were gone and the forge had been saved.

With a cry of victory, he jumped and clapped his hands, until another projectile hit, sending a large chunk of stone through the forge roof and crushing most of the building's innards. His victorious shout transformed into a cry of frustration. All for nothing. King Conrad III was going to kill them all. He wouldn't live to see 1142. It was all for nothing.

He looked up in time to see another large stone coming down at him. Despite his despair, he refused to die. Not here. Not now. Not like this. And so he scrambled back, knowing full well he didn't have time to get out of the way. Suddenly, rough hands grabbed his shoulders from behind, drawing him back and the world disappeared.

* * *

Marcellus had stumbled across the boy by accident as he skimmed through time within his own world. A scrawny young waif, with light brown hair and dark eyes whose rough shirt and trousers hung too large on his small, delicate frame. The boy was going to die in this siege and yet, when Marcellus saw the boy's remarkably clever solution to the fire and his indomitable will to live, he was moved. And so he had saved the child, pulling him into Null-Time.

He hadn't been sure what to do with young Marcus at first. But the boy hadn't been frightened or overwhelmed by Null-Time. He'd been entranced, soaking the world up like a sponge, wanting to learn everything. Marcellus couldn't help but teach him. What a willful, stubborn, brilliant brat Marcus was and honestly Marcellus was proud of him.

Although, honestly, he wished the boy, in truth a young man now, would really stop with the inventions. The Scepter had been a creation of providence, but the things, Marcus made were reckless and dangerous applications of the time, space and essentially reality altering nature of this place. But no matter how he forbid him, Marcus kept creating. Even when Marcellus piled on extra studying and work, Marcus found time to invent, driven by his keen, inquisitive mind.

To Marcus's annoyance he'd begun to call his foundling Lord Simultaneous for all the things he seemed to be able to do at once and the denizens of this world had picked up on it and began to address him as such as well. The poor child would forever be stuck with that nickname, but it couldn't be helped. Besides, it suited him.

Watching the boy grow up as his own son, mostly in the windows of worlds he'd been sent to for training as he would not have aged in Null-Time, Marcellus had been forming an idea. He was weary of his burden and gradually becoming more and more ready to move on to whatever came next.

Maybe that's why he'd invested a portion of his power in the boy when he'd decided to keep him. That's why he'd trained him so rigorously, honing his stubborn rebellion into discipline. Forming a clever young child into his successor. Soon very soon, it would be time to pass the mantle. Time for him to finally know some peace.

* * *

Marcus sighed. He was getting older, spending too much time outside of Null-Time perhaps. But there were so many among the different worlds, stumbling across science or magic that could interfere with the proper flow of time. It all had to be carefully monitored. He couldn't just sit in Null-Time looking after himself.

He paused in front of the crystal casket he'd ordered the timelings to construct for Marcellus's body. How had he done all this by himself for so long? He'd been stunned and honored when Marcellus had passed the full power and responsibility to him. He'd never taken anything so seriously in his life. But he was lonely without his mentor. His father. He'd look in on him from time to time.

Marcellus had returned to the Republic of Rome, married and lived a peaceful life in a country villa until his death. Marcus had retrieved and preserved his body, to honor him, but the truth was that he was still here alone.

Sighing again, he turned away from Marcellus and picked up the Scepter. At once his rough peasant clothing became a long white robe, coat and cylindrical cowled hat embellished with a single dark blue stripe.

Despite the odd blue curved bits of metal that emerged from either side of the headdress, he suspected his attire was inspired by the Roman Catholic bishops that represented authority to him in his time, just as Marcellus had been inspired by the clothing of the senators and generals who ruled his own youth. It was a manifestation of something the wielder looked up to, respected, expected judgement and authority from. It was lonely.

How had Marcellus borne this? He'd found an apprentice, that's how. The idea carried a pleasant weight in his mind. Yes. A student. An heir. A companion. That would make this life, this duty, bearable. He just needed to find the right person.

* * *

For what had to be about the thousandth time, Savanti Romero cursed the butcher. It was surely the butcher who had landed him in this mess. It had to be.

To everyone else, he'd merely been a struggling artist. But in truth, he was an alchemist. Every moment of his spare time had been devoted to unlocking the secrets of limitless wealth. Discovering how to turn lead into gold.

While he'd never managed that and had begun to suspect that it might not be possible, he had succeeded in a way. He'd managed to turn cheap base materials into a realistic counterfeit of gold. He knew that it was dangerous to use it, but he couldn't help it. The temptation was too great.

So he'd cheated the butcher once or twice, or a few more times than that, but he needed to eat and honestly his paintings didn't sell that well. He'd never imagined the consequences when the butcher inevitably discovered the deception.

He hadn't given it a thought when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella's Inquisition had set up a permanent tribunal here in Toledo back in 1488. What did he have to fear? How was he to know that his parents had converted from Judaism to Christianity? They'd never told him.

But when the butcher, and it must have been the butcher, had accused him to the Inquisition, his ignorance mattered nothing. They'd confiscated everything from him and left him to rot in this cell for, what was it, two years now, without a trail or any kind of resolution.

He was losing his ability to keep track of time in this place. It had to have been a while. His once white linen shirt was holey and permanently stained with sweat and dirt. The ties that had once closed the 'v' at his neck, long since fallen off. His supple leather pants were ruined beyond all salvation. At least his boots, while dirty, were still in decent condition. It wasn't as though he had anywhere to walk much anymore. All because of the butcher.

Well he'd show them. He'd get out of here and show them all. He'd been carefully saving up and preserving his waste. He thought he had it figured out, how to make it explode like black powder. It should work. He just needed time. And what did he have if not lots and lots of time.

A blinding red light appeared as the air in his cell rent open and out stepped a short man, probably late thirties, wearing the strangest robes he'd ever seen. Was this some secret agent of the Inquisition? He began to panic and looked around widely for something to defend himself.

"Peace Savanti. I mean you no harm." Savanti chuckled dryly.

"After locking me up here for years, I find that hard to believe."

"I am not with the Inquisition." Savanti raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I have observed your tenacity and clever ingenuity, albeit tasked for your selfishness, and am impressed. Your pettiness can surely be outgrown." Savanti felt his eye twitch. Why this arrogant, judgmental bastard! Who was this robed fool to look down on him?

"And so I have chosen to take you as my apprentice. I won't force you, but if you want more purpose to your life than this, please come with me." Savanti glanced around the cell and his black eyes narrowed in calculation. Whoever this lunatic was, he was offering a way out of this prison. Savanti was no fool. Plastering a meek and grateful smile on his face, he nodded appreciatively and followed the short odd man through the portal.

* * *

Marcus gaped up in shock, pinned in place by the magic of his own Scepter, as his trusted friend and protégé, Savanti prepared a ritual to forcibly rip the time and space power out of him, before erasing him from time completely. Marcus had never felt so betrayed. He'd trusted Savanti, loved him like a younger brother. How could this have happened?

With the Scepter in hand, Savanti looked like a Spanish king, bedecked in the conquistadores' wealth, freshly returned from the new world. He'd actually braided his long glossy black hair with threads of pure gold. The man looked like a peacock. This was his impression of authority, power and respect?

It occurred to him bitterly that he'd never really known Savanti as he had thought. The man had hidden his greed and ambition well during the lengthy period of study and training. Marcus could see now that he would have made a terrible Lord and Master of All Time and Space, using the power for his own gain rather than defending the integrity of the time continuum.

Well, he only had himself to blame. It was his own poor judgment that had brought him to this point, not seeing past the deceitful passive cooperation of Savanti. But Savanti didn't have all of his knowledge and barely a fraction of his experience.

Unbeknownst to his young apprentice, he'd been carefully unweaving the seal on him while Savanti prepared his ritual, waiting for the moment. Savanti eventually needed both hands to finish the chalk circle and candle placement and set the Scepter down, reverting to his prison clothing.

The moment the Scepter left his grip, Marcus sprang into action, shattering the spell that held him in place and summoning the Scepter into his hand. Savanti gaped at him in open mouthed disbelief. Arrogant, selfish young man.

But he had always been that and Marcus had known it well even if he hadn't wanted to accept it. This was his mistake not, Savanti's. He could not kill the man for his own poor judgement. With a sigh and some lingering affection for the traitor, he retracted the power, he once gifted him with and Savanti wept with the loss of it. He then opened a portal, banishing him to Spain in 1046 A.D.

It was a time of opportunity at the beginning of the High Middle Ages. The Reconquista against the taifa, which had replaced the fallen caliphate in the south with the fall last of the caliphs of Cordoba, was in full swing. A man with Savanti's knowledge of history and science could do well for himself there and then. He could finally achieve the wealth and ambition he so desired without doing much harm.

Unfortunately, Marcus did not see Savanti grab the satchel he'd brought to the ritual as he was pushed forcibly through the portal. That was a lapse that Marcus would soon learn to regret.

* * *

Savanti landed hard in an open field clutching his satchel tightly to his chest and cursing Lord Simultaneous's miraculous escape from all his carefully prepared plans. It wouldn't go that way next time. Next time, he'd account for everything. Next time would be perfect. Next time he would become Lord and Master of All Time and Space.

He opened the satchel and, with trembling hands, carefully removed the three items that over the years he'd managed to steal from Lord Simultaneous's collection of inventions. Metal bands that attached at the wrists and wove up the arms, a single dark blue crystalline amulet and a simple steel wand.

The wand was supposed to be a smaller version of the Scepter but it was weak and flawed. It could only move its wielder through time and space, with incredible inaccuracy and only once every twenty for hours, expending all its energy with a single burst. But he could and would use it to get back to Null-Time.

Setting that aside, he picked up the metal bands and slid them onto his arms. They clamped down and fused with his flesh in an agonizing sensation that was not unlike burning. As the pain faded, he could feel the effects thrumming though his body. His flesh was no longer dying all around him, held in timeless stasis as it was in Null-Time.

Now he had unlimited time to bring his plans to fruition. And he could no longer be killed. Well that wasn't true. He could be killed, but his essence was tethered to these bands, permanently. No matter what was done to his body, his soul would return and the damage would be healed. He could recover from death. He was invincible.

Chuckling with a hint of mania, he grabbed the amulet and pressed it to his forehead, screaming as it dug into his flesh, drilling into his skull. The pain abated, leaving him panting for breath. And he focused on his memory of time and space magic, keying it to the stone. He was now immune.

Let's see that old codger use his sacred powers against him now. All that was left was to find his way back to Null-Time. Clasping the wand tightly, he began his search.

* * *

Brian Tilley trudged out of the military encampment with orders to find his missing comrades. He thought he remembered one of the mention going up to the nearby village for some entertainment, not that he could think of anything particularly entertaining there.

It was a small rural village, not unlike the one he'd grown up in back in England. The people were simple and happy, despite the hardship that Napoleon's war had brought upon them, but like any small village there was little to do besides farm and work and spend time with old acquaintances.

Up ahead he could hear distinctly feminine shrieks of pain and terror. Breaking into a full on run, he was stunned by the sight that he'd come upon. His comrades, his countrymen, were attacking a defenseless young woman. French or not, it was wrong.

Despite her tangled hair and dirty, tear stained face, he recognized her. He'd seen her in the village a few weeks ago, carrying a bushel of produce, laughing and talking with her friends. He didn't understand the language, but they had called her Renet. And now here she was, dress torn open, arms pinned by two of his fellow while a third forced himself upon her and the rest stood about jeering and taunting. It was too much.

"Get off of her!" Before he knew it, he'd kicked the man raping her hard enough in the side to send him flying off of her. Then two more swift kicks took out the two men pinning her arms. Before he could offer her aid, the men who'd been standing around were on him. He was a decent brawler and got in a few good hits, but he was overwhelmed. There were too many.

Some held him while others beat him. It was more painful than he thought it would be, but he didn't give up. He needed to free himself and save that poor girl. Renet. Then one of the men drew a dagger and jammed it into his gut. Four times.

They let him topple to the ground and he was consumed in a world of pain leading to a slow horrible death. Gut wounds were a bad way to go and there was nothing to be done for them.

He managed to collect himself enough to realize that he hadn't saved the girl at all. His comrades had finished raping her and were now leaving. Both broken on the ground, their eyes met. Then the last soldier stooped over her and slit her throat. He watched the life fade from her eyes and mouthed that he was sorry.

If he ever had a daughter, he swore he'd name her Renet in the girl's honor. Like that was going to happen. He was nineteen, dying and he couldn't even save one precious life. Suddenly a short older man with kind dark eyes and bizarre robes was looking down at him.

"You're a good man Brian Tilley. Come with me."

* * *

Brian shifted uneasily in the corner of the Japanese inn. He knew they couldn't see him, was using his power to stay hidden just as he was taught, but still felt uncomfortable. This seemed disturbingly voyeuristic and wrong.

But Lord Simultaneous had assigned him this task and he would see it through. Though spending a year, hiding in the shadows observing the meetings of leaders during the Meiji Restoration of Japan to identify critical decisions in history seemed a bit much for a first solo task. Up until now, he'd only been studying and exploring the gift his master had given him using the Scepter that always oddly dressed him like General Wellington.

He'd never been anywhere but his village in England, military encampment in France and Null-Time. Thinking back, he unconsciously moved his hand to his stomach where he knew the scars lay beneath his British infantry uniform.

He barely remembered a few broken moments coming in and out of consciousness, somewhere bright surrounded by frantic people in masks and languishing in bed in an alien place, before Lord Simultaneous came and brought him back to Null-Time. He now understood that he'd been taken far into the future to be saved with miraculous new medical care, but it was hard to wrap his mind around it. Best to focus on the task at hand.

Suddenly another person burst into the room in a flash of light and energy, startling all the people in the meeting to flight. The intruder was clearly a time traveler. One of those he was being trained to protect all creation against.

The Hispanic-looking man glared at him and he realized that he'd been startled into dropping his shields, making him visible to all. The intruder seemed to realize something that absolutely enraged him.

"You! So you think to have taken my place! He's replaced me with you! You pathetic little worm! You don't deserve the power." What? Could this be Lord Simultaneous former apprentice, Savanti Romero? Impossible. He was supposed to be banished to eleventh century Spain. Before he could give the situation further consideration, Savanti attacked.

The man wasn't much of a fighter, but he had a crude dagger. Brian could defend against him unarmed, easily, but with a weapon he'd need to get serious. There was no way he could spare a man who was trying to stab him to death.

Sad, he pulled his own dagger, caught Savanti's arm in his next wild strike and opened his throat with one swift motion. Simple and clean. He gently the lay the body down, unsure of how to clean up this time mess. Maybe he should try contacting Lord Simultaneous. He'd want to know about Savanti anyway.

Then Savanti sat up right with an abrupt violent scream and buried his dagger deep into Brian's thigh, causing him to shriek and drop his own weapon. Not good. How was he alive? Savanti ripped out the dagger to another cry of pain and slashed wildly at his torso, but Brian brought his arms up to defend, sacrificing them instead.

With the sudden realization that he was going to die, he felt an intense need to escape, get away be anywhere but here. Then everything vanished in a flash of blue light and Savanti's scream of rage and frustration.


	6. Chapter 4: What Lies in Shadow II

**What Lies in Shadow II:**

Oroku Nagi stood at his war table, examining his strategic options. Frustration and futility twisted his gut. The great Foot clan was going to be destroyed and it would happen under his tenure. His legacy would the destruction of centuries of power and influence.

As the warring states came to a close, the Foot clan had changed from a traditional military unit into a ninja clan. From the shadows they could exert great influence on the politics of Japan without the obvious target that most leaders wear. Except for the one rival of Koga Takuza who survived, founding the Hamato clan of ninja to oppose them.

And now, in the 20th century, after centuries of hidden war, the Hamato were finally going to win, once and for all. And it was all his fault. His lack of leadership, lack of planning, poor decisions. With a growl, he punched the table sending shards of wood splintering out in all directions.

"It's not too late. Even now." He didn't even turn at the sound of Kitsune's voice. She had advised him over the years as her predecessors had done for generations. But she had abandoned him of late, leaving him to lead his people to disaster.

"What do you want?"

"To save your clan of course." He chuckled bitterly.

"And how do you propose to manage that?" She laid a journal on the table in front of him.

"There is an artifact of great power, in a secret temple in China. With it you could destroy the Hamato, completely and utterly."

"A magic artifact in a secret temple?" He was incredulous. She couldn't be serious.

"This journal has all the information that I have collected on it. I think it can finally be found and retrieved."

"And you expect me to drop everything to chase this obscure lead?"

"Of course not, you have a bloody war of attrition to follow to your ultimate demise." He glared at her masked face. She handed him a list.

"I have some suggestions on agents you can send to retrieve it." He gasped.

"These are my best warriors!"

"The artifact will be well defended."

"I need them here to fight the Hamato clan."

"This artifact is your only hope. Without it you're lost anyway. Send them and buy them whatever time you can." Frowning, he wanted to argue, but all the fight drained out of him.

"Very well." He took the list and the journal out of the room to go assign the mission, unable to see the smile hidden beneath Kitsune's mask.

* * *

Kitsune stood on a hill watching the Foot clan village burn. The end had come swiftly after Nagi had sent away his best men. It didn't matter. A man, so completely unable to resist her influence through the Kabuto was of no use to her.

Besides, despite his fears the clan was not lost and never would be so long as this survived. She stroked the metal helmet, held in the crook of her arm. No, the Foot clan would rise again with a new, worthy leader. She turned and strode away from the carnage without a backward glance.

* * *

Saki angrily struck the training dummy, sending sprays of straw and stuffing flying out of it. His own brother, the man he trusted most, was a dishonorable traitor. Not only had he stolen his beloved Shen from him, behind his back no less, knowing full well how Saki felt about her, he had humiliated him in front of her. How could he? How dare he!

If only he hadn't held back out of a misguided sense of love and loyalty. Yoshi damn well hadn't. Some friend. Some brother. He struck the dummy again, snapping its wooden base apart and sending it flying. Damn him!

Sensing a presence behind, him spun angrily to face it. Before him stood a woman in a purple kimono wearing a fox festival mask and holding an old helmet with a trident ornament atop it.

"Who are you and what do you want?" His voice was guarded. She didn't approach but caressed the helmet in a way that unnerved him instead.

"Oroku Saki. I think it's time you learned of your birthright."


	7. Chapter 5: Obsession I

**Obsession I:**

Arthur James Howard paced his father's study, swirling expensive brandy in an equally expensive rock glass. He winced at the taste. Probably because it had been his father's brandy. He'd buy some of his own soon. Annoyed, he chucked the glass into the fireplace, watching it ignite into a small fireball of shattered glass. Someone would be along to clean it up later. His father's study was a priority among the staff.

Well, he supposed it was his study now. He already had confirmation of the crash and fatalities. Not that he hadn't already known. He'd arranged it after all. But it was just supposed to be that bastard. Why did his mother always have to change plans on a whim? She wasn't supposed to be on the jet too.

He looked up at the family portrait over the fireplace with a pang of loss. His father was centered at the back, with his beautiful mother alongside him. Her platinum blonde hair hung loosely around her heart shaped face and her surreal aquamarine eyes stared out at him with that hint of whimsy that she always had about her.

In front of his parents were him and his sister Elaine, with boring dark brown hair and brown eyes like their father. Between them was the smiling visage of his youngest sister, Leanna. She was fortunate enough to take after their mother.

As he gazed at Leanna's childish features, noting the uncanny resemblance to their mother, he had a sudden urge to see her. She'd be home for the next few days. The school had given her time to grieve once news of their parents' deaths had become public. She was only seventeen now. That made him her legal guardian for the next three months.

He hadn't really spoken to her in a long time. His mother had been the only family member he communicated with voluntarily in the past few years. Obviously he had to speak with his father as he was being forcibly molded into a replica of the old goat. The bitter taste of the brandy returned and he fought the urge to spit. Returning his gaze to the painting, he thought of Leanna again. Yes, he did need to see her.

That decided, he flung open the study doors, meeting the eyes of Dirk Savage, waiting at the end of the hall. Dirk didn't have much leave from the military, but these were his foster parents, so allowances were made. He nodded to his best friend and brother and got a similar nod in return. Dirk understood him. He'd been the only one besides his mother who could.

"I'm going to speak with Leanna. Could you keep everyone away for a while?" Dirk straightened up.

"Got it A. J." Smiling at the use of his childhood nickname, he walked past Dirk and too the stairs to the upper rooms. He stopped off in his room first. He hadn't moved into his parents' room and didn't plan to. There was too much of his father in there. He had collected a few practical items and decided which possessions to get rid of completely, but otherwise avoided the room.

On his end table, lay one of the house keys he'd taken from his father's nightstand. Their house was stately and old and the interior doors still locked with a key. He remembered the many times his father had used the key to lock him into his room as punishment. Only his mother's voice through the door had relieved his isolation and sense of imprisonment.

Gripping the key tightly, he considered throwing it through the window. Pausing to take a deep breath, he slipped it into his pocket. The monster was gone. Items like this had no more power over him. Where was Leanna's room anyway? It took him a surprisingly long time to remember. It really had been a while since he'd spent any time with her. He navigated the route to her bedroom and knocked on her door.

"Come in." He stepped inside and Leanna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Arthur?" She was sitting in her computer chair in her floral pajamas, brushing her long hair. He was so struck by her resemblance to their mother that he was momentarily speechless. Mentally shaking the thought away, he finally found his voice.

"I thought I'd see how you were holding up. I know we haven't been close lately." Her surprise vanished into an expression of compassion and sorrow.

"I don't really know. It doesn't seem real yet. I keep feeling like their just on a trip and they'll be coming home soon. I'm sorry it must be worse for you. You're in charge of everything now and you have to make all the arrangements." He shook his head.

"I'll manage." She set the brush down and came over to him, taking his hand.

"You don't have to do it alone. You're right that we've drifted apart. But I am here for you. We'll get through this together." He froze. She looked so much like their mother and carried with her, the familiar kindness and comfort his mother had always brought him. He could almost imagine that Leanna was his mother with her youth miraculously restored.

In a sudden moment of stunning clarity, he understood what he wanted, why he had come here. The hand she held locked an iron grip on her wrist and her eyes widened in shock and pain.

That's right. As long as he had Leanna, his mother wasn't really gone. He could still have everything he wanted. Catching her other wrist with his remaining hand, he dragged her screaming, thrashing form over to the bed, ignoring her pleas to let her go. No. He would finally get what he'd wanted.

* * *

Dirk stood at the bottom of the stairs, keeping the staff at bay. With his acute hearing, he thought he could make out screams, but he wasn't sure. It wasn't his business. He didn't understand the grief of losing one's parents. He couldn't even remember his biological parents. A. J. was his only family now.

A. J. had found him and saved him from the foster system, convincing his family to take him in. A. J. was his friend and his brother and he owed him everything. He might understand grief if A. J. died, but his mind shied away from that thought too much for him to form any hypothetical comparison. If they needed to scream to work through the loss, who was he to judge?

* * *

It had been a week, since he had discovered Leanna's new role in his life. It was as though all the possibilities he'd once thought snuffed out with his mother's death were restored. He couldn't remember being in such a good mood and had his nightly visits to Leanna to thank for it.

Dirk had to return to his post after the funeral, but the staff had standing orders to leave the upper rooms alone. He'd told everyone that Leanna had a nervous breakdown and that he was seeing to her care personally. With her locked in her room all day and no one coming to find her, he could be assured that she would always be there for him. Like mother.

He carried the breakfast tray up to her room, reasonably confident that she wouldn't try to ambush him at the door again. They'd had a very stern conversation about that and she hadn't tried it again for the past few days.

She still fought him with all her dainty might each night, but he was bigger and stronger, so it didn't really matter. Although he did have a rather painful bite that taught him to pin her face down on the bed. The smell of muffins and treacle wafted up from the tray. He'd brought her favorite foods to her as a treat. Or were they mother's favorite foods? It didn't matter.

Pulling out his key, he unlocked her door and the tray dropped from his nerveless fingers with a crash. The room was empty. One of the large panes of her picture window had been broken out and a rope of clothing and sheets, tied to her solid wood bed frame draped out through the open window.

Upon closer examination, he noticed any empty vase lined with treacle next to the window and swaths of the paper she'd used for school banners on the floor with the broken window glass stuck to it. So that's how no one heard the window break. She must have been saving the treacle from all the meals he'd brought her. That's why she'd stopped ambushing him.

Screaming in rage he punched the wall. Dirk might be gone, but he had other sources he could turn to. He would find her. He would have her back and when he did, he would be prepared to keep her forever.


	8. Chapter 6: Redemption I

**Redemption I:**

Hun moaned and flailed out to grab his aching head, sending empty bottles flying. The nasty mattress on the floor on which he'd passed stunk of urine and vomit. Bleary eyed and hung over, he noted that it was night. His last memory was of morning, but on which day? He could never tell how long his blackouts lasted. What had he done this time?

The door creaked open. He knew who it was before she even spoke. After one of his underlings had thought to take him out easily during one of his blackouts in a bid for power and nearly died as a result of his mindless, raging response, Miri was the only one who dared approach him when he was sleeping off a bender.

"Arnold? Are you awake yet?" He let out another moan and she scurried into the room with a water bucket and cloth. He just lay there, allowing her to clean him up as best she could. She was the only one who ever gave a damn and although he'd never say it, he appreciated her for it.

What a nice Hispanic-Caucasian girl like her was doing in Asian gang, he'd never know. All she ever got here, besides being passed around to anyone who wanted her, were beatings and insults. What could she be running away from that was worse than this? Or maybe it wasn't and she was just stuck here now. He could get that.

His overbearing Chinese father, who had driven his mother away, had seemed like the worst thing in his childhood and the Purple Dragons his salvation. But now that he was here, having beaten and clawed his way to the top, to take the title Hun and lead them, he wasn't so sure.

His life was all crime and violence as he slogged through what seemed like an endless drunken stupor. Maybe his dad hadn't been so bad, but there was no going back now. Could that be how it was for Miri?

He cringed as she carefully plucked chunks of vomit out of his short, bleach blond hair, another small rebellion against his father. He was probably the only one who hadn't taken her yet and he knew that she was grateful. Confused but grateful.

They were also the only ones who knew each other's real names, instead of the gang nicknames. She was Miriam Bridge and he Arnold Jones. To the Purple Dragons though, they were just Classy and Hun. He knew her name was meant to be a jab at her Caucasian half, that she was some high class white girl, slumming it with an ethnic Asian gang.

Although he wondered why she didn't end up in a gang more aligned with her background, he knew it wasn't that simple. Besides, as far as ethnic gangs went, the Purple Dragons was pretty unique. Most gangs stuck very specifically to their own. There were smaller gangs of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, etc.

The Purple Dragons were any inexplicable mix of normally volatile nationalities, taking all comers. It was an explosively violent mixing pot that somehow resulted in strength and power. No other gang came close to challenging them and they ruled these streets. They even had a handful of members who weren't even Asian, attracted by the sheer power of the gang. There might be a lot of hatred and bitter infighting among the members, but they ruled undisputed.

He'd started out a lowly whipping boy, but savagely fought his way to the top. He might be untrained in any particular style, but he'd picked up what he needed to know from many different people who were trained and combined it with his sheer toughness and unwillingness to back down to become unbeatable.

His only weakness was the booze. No wonder everyone made sure he was never dry. His blackouts were their only chance to run things, not that the gang was particularly organized. They couldn't beat him, but they could kill him slowly with the liquor and much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't stop.

He knew he had a problem, but was helpless and hated himself for it. Every time he tried to avoid it, they were always there with more, offering, tempting, challenging and he couldn't say no. The cycle would begin again.

Sometimes Miri would sacrifice herself to distract them from him when she knew he was trying to stay sober, but it was never enough, though he appreciated the effort. This place would be the miserable, untimely death of both of them. Suddenly, he noticed that she was done wiping him off and now sitting awkward and silent beside him.

"Miri?" His voice was still a little slurred.

"Arnold. I need your help." Her words shocked him. In the years he'd known her, she'd never asked him for a single thing.

"Wha-iz-it?" Her brow furrowed.

"I need to get out of here. I can't leave. Not on my own. They'll catch me and, and…" Her words trailed off and his heart sunk. He didn't know if he could do this without her. Why did she want to leave? Besides the obvious? She'd been stuck here for years and seemed used to her misery. Why now?

"Where you want to go?"

"I have a friend. She'll take me in. She's been trying for years and I wouldn't listen. But now…"

"But now?"

"It's not about me anymore. I'm pregnant and I don't want this for the baby." For a moment he couldn't say a word. It was obviously a possibility the way everyone here used her, almost an inevitability in fact, but it had never occurred to him before. Nor did the irony escape him that she was seeking help from the one man who couldn't be the child's father.

He didn't want to think about his future without her, drinking himself to death alone in this hell hole, but he understood why she had to do this. And he would help her.

"Lemme get a change of clothes and I'll take you wherever you want to go. No one will say a word if your with me." She smiled at him in relief and he took solace in that.

* * *

He sat at the small dining table in the tiny apartment, trying to absorb the strange sense of normal that embodied this place. It had been so long since he'd left gang territory or stayed anywhere besides one of the abandoned buildings they tended to hole up in, that he'd forgotten what it was like.

He could hear the girls crying and comforting each other in Gabrielle Puzorelli's tiny bedroom and opted to remain here, giving them their privacy. Her name had struck him as odd. It sounded so Italian, but she looked more like she should have been Swedish. Not that he, half Chinese, half northern European, could talk. Welcome to America Arnold.

The kettle whistled and a shuffling sound alerted him to Gabrielle's presence. He tried not to look, but turning down free booze would have been easier. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a loose pony tail and her milky skin held almost a surreal glow to it in the apartment's dim light.

She wasn't tall or buxom, but still hot as hell her in pajama pants and tank top. He had never wanted a woman as instantly or intensely before in his entire life and when her slate blue eyes caught his, he knew the feeling was mutual.

But now wasn't the time for that. Now was about helping Miri and he tried to keep to himself so that Gabrielle could aide her friend. He knew better than anyone that self-control wasn't really his strong suit, especially when it was denying himself something he really wanted.

He'd been planning on going back, once he was sure Miri was being taken care of, but after meeting Gabrielle, he kept putting off leaving. She was like a magnet that drew him in. He couldn't escape her and didn't really want to.

Plus the idea of going back to the Dragons became more depressing by the minute. He knew he would go back. It was the only life he knew. What would he do without them? Who was he even without them? There was no other life for him and he would have to go back. Just not yet. Gabrielle poured some tea into a mug and surprised him by sitting at the table with him. He looked at her questioningly.

"She's asleep right now."

"So, what's she gonna do?" Gabrielle sighed.

"She has an aunt in Chicago who I think will take her in. I'll call her in the morning and lend Miri the bus fare."

"Can you afford it?" She shrugged again. He dug into his jeans and pulled out a handful of grubby bills, twenties mostly, setting them on the table.

"Don't ask. Just take them." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I don't think I said that before. You saved her and I never even thanked you for it." He shook his head.

"You had her to look after. That's more important."

"Why did you help her?" His first instinct was to blow off the question with a glib response, but there was just something about this woman that made him want to be honest with her.

"She's my friend. My only friend." Gabrielle seemed surprised but accepted it. She was probably wondering if the kid was his.

"I didn't do this to her." Gabrielle's eyes widened with surprise.

"It's not like that with us. She's just…my friend. That's not a common thing where I'm from, and it means…a lot. If she needs help, I'll help her." Gabrielle nodded.

"So what now?"

"Once I know she's in good hands, I go back."

"To the place with no friends?" He nodded grimly.

"Why?"

"Nowhere else to be." In a gesture that was clearly impulsive, she placed her hand on his and he thought his heart would stop.

"You could be here, with me, if you wanted." She looked as shocked at her words as he was. Obviously this offer was not planned, but he could see she meant it. Could he not go back to the Dragons? What would he do? How would he get by? Who would he be? Looking into her eyes, none of that mattered. He'd find a way. Some way. Clasping her hand in return, he smiled.

"Yeah, I want that."

* * *

Arnold sighed contentedly as he walked back to Gabrielle's apartment from the subway station. He was exhausted and filthy but it felt good for once, coming from the junk yard where he'd discovered he had a knack for fixing cars, returning to the most amazing woman in the world.

He still couldn't believe this was real. After she helped him through an intense detox and supported him into Alcoholics Anonymous, he hadn't touched a drop in months and didn't regret a minute of his sobriety. Not even the brutal withdrawal symptoms.

Now he had her and his sponsor had helped him get into hockey to aid him in maintaining his sobriety and he loved it. It turned out he was good too. Maybe even good enough to make a career out of it. He didn't know life could be so great.

Opening the door, he could sense the tension and his contentment slipped a bit. He quickly found her in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet lid, staring into space. He knelt in front of her concerned.

"Gabrielle?" She jerked, surprised to see him suddenly materialize before her.

"What's wrong?" She smiled nervously at him and held up a plastic stick with a plus sign on it. It was obviously supposed to mean something, but he had no clue what. Seeing his confusion, she finally answered him.

"Uh, I'm pregnant." He froze and for a moment time seemed to stop. He was going to be a father? How could he be a father? He didn't know anything about fatherhood and kids. He looked in her eyes seeing her waiting expectantly for his response with nervous hope.

For an instant he could see his future. It was full of Gabrielle and this child and he wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything his life. He reached out and embraced her, heedless of the engine grease on his coveralls.

"You're not upset?"

"No. I'm happy. You have no idea." She sighed in relief.

"But how will we…?"

"I don't know but we'll find a way. I'm not giving up this child or you for anything."

"Arnold?"

"You and this baby are my future. The future that I want." He pulled back and she smiled at him. Yes. He knew what he wanted now. Why did he wait this long? Taking her hand, he went down on one knee.

"Marry me Gabrielle. I want you and our family, for now and forever." She put her free hand over her mouth to cover a happy sob.

"Yes. I want that too."


	9. Chapter 7: The Flow of Time III

**The Flow of Time III:**

Leanna staggered back to her tiny apartment, tempted to just collapse asleep on the pavement now. Sure she was working two jobs and dealing with the nightmares, but she was completely exhausted all the time now. Too bad there weren't a lot of decent jobs out there for high school drop outs using fake names. She supposed she should probably be lucky that she didn't end up on the streets. Always a silver lining.

Well she'd survived the worst of it so she damn well wasn't going to die now. Sure when she pictured her upcoming eighteenth birthday, this was not how she imagined spending it, but she'd deal. Just had to keep going. Things would get better. Even if the stress now was wearing her out and making things taste strange. She'd get past it.

A flash of blue light briefly illuminated a nearby alley. It was so strange that it piqued her curiosity, but this wasn't exactly the greatest neighborhood. She should be cautious. A pained moan called out to her and compassion won out. She hurried into the alley.

The sight caused her to stop and stare like a fool. On the ground, groaning, lay a man who looked like he was dressed for a historical reenactment, American Revolution maybe for the British side. What was someone like that doing moaning in an alley in this part of town?

His reddish brown hair kind of matched his outfit and she found herself oddly giddy at the thought. Odd, she wasn't normally a hysterical person, but it had been a stressful couple of weeks. She shuffled forward and her feet hit some trash, alerting him to her presence. His sky blue eyes snapped open and locked onto hers and they both froze. He looked really pale.

"Are you ok?" It seemed like he was about to reassure her that he was fine, until he tried to move and turned a little green from the pain, she finally got a glimpse of his arms and leg, covered in blood, so much blood.

"Oh my…we need to get you to a hospital." He actually panicked, shaking his head wildly and tried to get away from her. Ok, for some reason he really had a thing against hospitals. Now what? He was going to bleed out if left here. What if he needed stitches? She had a sudden vision trying to patch him up in her apartment with her sewing kit and some topical antibiotic ointment and felt lightheaded.

But she couldn't leave him here to die. Should she force him to go to a hospital? She could still see the terror on his face. No. No one should be forced to do something they were so averse to. She should know that better than anyone. No choice then. She would have to take care of this. She approached cautiously.

"I won't hurt you. My name is Leanna."

"Brian." He was in such bad shape that he had trouble getting the name out.

"Would it be ok if I took you home with me and patched you up there?" He sagged in relief and nodded. She took off her scarf and tied it tightly around his thigh, the worst of his bleeding, as he grunted in pain but didn't complain. Then she helped him to his feet and he leaned on her, limping to her apartment. Good thing it was close.

* * *

Brian awoke with a start. He could still feel the aches of his injuries but that wasn't what pulled him out of his first restful sleep since the weeks of intense fever. He'd thought for sure that he was done, but this time and place had some remarkable medicine that seemingly anyone could obtain. He marveled at being alive and wondered if maybe this was when and where Marcus had brought him when he was dying before.

What had awoken him though? Crying? Someone was crying. A girl. Leanna? Ignoring the pain, he forced himself to his feet and staggered towards the source of the sound. She was in a brightly lit tiled room with a basin, sitting on some kind of ceramic chair. In her hands, she held a strange white stick that she stared at while sobbing.

"Leanna?"

"Oh?' Started, she tossed the stick into a nearby bin and struggled to compose herself, wiping away her tears.

"Brian, I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry. Are you feeling better?" He nodded. It wasn't a lie. He might feel awful, but had recently felt much, much worse.

"What's wrong Leanna?" Her composure crumbled and she began to sob again. Despite the pain, he knelt in front of her and gently took her hands.

"Leanna?"

"I'm pregnant." They both froze. She seemed surprised that she had blurted it out. He hadn't been here long, but he was fairly certain that she didn't have a man. Whoever the father was, he wasn't here. And it didn't really matter why. He knew how people treated women in her situation and it wasn't fair. As if rearing a child alone wasn't hard enough. She shouldn't have to.

"I'm here and I will help you. Whatever you need. I will find work. You will be provided for, both of you. I swear it."

"Brian you don't have to…"

"But I want to. Let me help you." Looking relieved, she nodded before proceeding to sob into his shoulder. He gently embraced her and held her as she cried all her tears dry.

* * *

Brian slowly climbed the steps to Leanna's apartment. His injuries, mostly healed now, still ached and working as a day laborer wasn't helping, but he had made a promise to provide for her and he intended to keep it.

The clothing that she had obtained for him from the Salvation Army still felt strange on him even after all these weeks. Why the military would be providing civilians clothing eluded him. Armies were for fighting or defending, weren't they? This time and place was still so strange to him, but he was adapting.

He knew that he probably should have contacted Lord Simultaneous a long time ago, but he felt certain that his mentor would want to take him from here and he couldn't leave Leanna. He just couldn't.

Using the keys she'd given him, he unlocked the door and let himself in as quietly as possible. It was very late and he didn't wish to disturb her. What little he knew about women in a delicate condition suggested that they needed to rest when possible.

He shuffled to his room and began undressing. She'd offered to acquire night clothing for him, but it seemed an unnecessary extravagance. His underclothing was sufficient for sleeping in. He'd managed to get his boots, socks and shirt off and had started on the jeans when he heard a whimper coming from her room. Another nightmare?

Without hesitation, he rushed to her. She'd been having nightmares fairly consistently since he'd known her. Although shy at first, he'd ultimately felt compelled to wake and comfort her when he heard.

Her reactions to the nightmare in her sleep had been hauntingly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Entering her room now, looking down at her, the way she flinched, pushed back at some invisible forced, thrashed and cried, he finally knew. He'd seen it in Renet the day he should have died. No wonder the child's father wasn't present. If he could ever get her to reveal the man to him he would hunt him down and kill him.

Shaking off his rage in favor of a powerful feeling of protective tenderness, he moved to wake her, gentle and careful, speaking soothing nonsense words, like calming a spooked horse. Shaking she came out of the nightmare, regaining awareness of herself and her surroundings.

When he was sure that she knew who he was and where she was, he wrapped his arms around her and rocked her while softly rubbing her back, muttering that he was there and everything was ok now, even if he knew that it wasn't.

* * *

Her shaking gradually ebbed as he held her. His scent calmed her, giving her a sense of safety that she sorely needed. She could feel his calloused hands rubbing her back and chasing away the dark memories.

True to his word he had been taking care of her, driving off her nightmares by night and working to help her pay her bills by day, despite still recovering from his unexplained injuries. He was definitely no stranger to hard work and very stoic about pain.

Although he wouldn't speak of it, the way he seemed so confused by and in awe of everything had caused her to suspect that either from insanity or the some supernatural impossibility, he really believed he was from the past, not just a historical reenactor as she'd first suspected.

That explained the fear of hospitals when they'd first met. In the time he believed himself to belong to, she was pretty sure they were less places of healing and more horrific deathtraps. Whether it was somehow all true or if he was just crazy seemed irrelevant. He was here and she needed him.

Calm and relaxed now, she eased out of his embrace and caught his expression. In one terrible moment, she was sure he knew. Maybe not all the horrifying details, but enough. She couldn't stand that he knew and felt an irrational urge to push him away as though that could somehow erase the knowledge.

"Leanna please…"

"Just…just go. Don't look at me. Please."

"Why not? Do you believe that I think less of you?" She laughed bitterly.

"Shouldn't you? I do."

"Well I don't and you shouldn't. Regardless of the circumstances, it's not your fault. You have survived, strong and beautiful, and I admire you. You are remarkable." How could he believe that of her after…why couldn't he see that she was broken and tainted?

"You will overcome this. I can see it in you and for that you are the bravest person I have ever met. Don't doubt that." She wanted to see herself the way he did. She really did. But right now, all she could do was cry. He held her hand, waiting patiently as the hurt poured out of her and she regained her composure.

"Leanna?"

"Yes."

"May I be your child's father?"

"What?"

"I know that it's forward and a lot to ask…"

"Why?" For a moment, he looked frightened and shy before forging ahead.

"Because I love you." She was so stunned that she actually nodded numbly as his face lit up with joy. Could this be real? Yes. She could see it in his eyes. In that moment she realized that she loved him too.

Reaching forward, she pulled him into a kiss that he readily yielded to. As it deepened and became more intense, she felt something awaken in her that she assumed to have died. He paused, breathless, and looked her in the eye.

"Are you sure? I'll wait. As long as you need. I'll wait."

"I'm sure. I don't want that to be all I know. I want happiness. I want to replace all the bad memories with something good. Something better. Please." That was all the encouragement he needed to reach out and save her, unaware that as he bound himself to her physically and secretly promised her his life and his soul that a mystic blue light flowed forth from him to settle in her womb.

* * *

Brian hummed to himself softly, as he made pancakes for his heavily pregnant wife as she read on the sofa. It had been months since they'd sworn their promises to each other and he still felt a thrill every time he called her that, either in his head or out loud.

It wasn't legally official as he didn't exist here and for reasons she didn't want to speak of, she went by an alias, but that didn't matter. What mattered was between them. She'd even started using Tilley as her last name whenever she needed to give it and the thought made him smile. His wife. His child.

He knew that he was never going back to Lord Simultaneous. This was his life and where he belonged. The old man was a good sort, but he would find another student. Brian now possessed more than he was willing to give up. His life was perfect.

The doorbell rang and he moved the pan off the burner before hurrying to answer it. The door wasn't even completely open when a foot shot out, planting square in his chest and sending him tumbling backwards. His blood ran cold as he saw Savanti stride into the apartment.

"Thought you could escape from me did you? Well you were wrong. I tracked you down. It took time, but I have time. Lots and lots of time." If possible, he seemed more insane than he had upon their first meeting. Much, much more insane. Savanti's eyes roved over to a terrified Leanna and he smiled wickedly.

"No!" Brian moved to tackle him at the waist, but received only a knee to his gut for the effort. Savanti was already moving towards Leanna. There was no time.

"Savanti stop!" He was close enough to touch her trembling form when he glanced back.

"Why should I?"

"You can have me. Just don't hurt her. I'll go with you. I'll cooperate with whatever you want. Just don't harm her." Savanti's eyes lit up with greed.

"Agreed."

"Brian?" Leanna's voice sounded frightened and strained.

"It's ok. You'll be safe. He has what he wants." She seemed frozen in horror as he allowed Savanti to bind his wrists with rope. He cried out for her to stop, to let him be taken as she ran to the kitchen, grabbing at the frying pan, presumably to use as a weapon, but Savanti just laughed.

Grabbing Brian by the collar, he brandished a metal stick and they both disappeared in an agonizing burst of blue light. All Brian could hear was Savanti's laughter and Leanna's cry of dismay.

The light faded, revealing them to be in a forest, but he didn't know when or where. But he knew that somehow he had to find a way to get back to her. Maybe when Savanti had whatever it was that he wanted from him, he could try and find his way home to her. To them. Savanti stared at him intensely for a moment and his maniacal smile faltered.

"Where is it?"

"What?"

"The power. It's gone. What have you done with it?" For a moment, Brian was confused. Then he remembered why Savanti had attacked him in the first place. The time travel power that Lord Simultaneous had gifted him with. He reached for it and was stunned to realize that it wasn't there. He hadn't tried in so long, that he hadn't realized. When had he lost it?

"Where is it?!" He shook his head, hoping that Savanti believed in his sincere ignorance. But the man was in a blind rage. Bound and defenseless, Brian couldn't stop him as Savanti pounced on him with his dagger and buried it into his heart. He could feel his life slipping away.

"Leanna."

* * *

A shock went through him as Marcus felt Brian's death. He'd keyed himself to the young man when he'd rescued him, but had never expected to use the link. How could he have died? It was a simple observation assignment. Was he not ready? Had Marcus pushed for too much, too fast? With a cry of sorrow and regret he launched himself to Brian's final time and place.

His throat seized as he saw a wild eyed Savanti looming over Brian's bound corpse with bloody dagger. Yes. This was his fault. He should have destroyed Savanti when he had that chance. His sentimentality had allowed this to happen.

He could try reaching back in time to prevent Brian's loss, but that would fracture the time stream as badly as the people he lived to stop. Time magic was not to be abused for personal reasons. All he could do now was make sure that Savanti never harmed anyone ever again.

But when he tried to move Savanti's personal time forward, to bring him to his end, nothing happened. Savanti was personally immune to his power. That's when he recognized the artifacts Savanti possessed. The metal bands, the amulet, the wand. All his creations. Creations that Marcellus warned him were trouble. This was even more his fault than he had thought.

Savanti saw him, recognized his failure and laughed maniacally. The man was completely insane now. Still power mad and ambitious but crazy on top of it all. And as before, he thought that he had the upper hand, that victory was assured. But Marcus still had options.

He opened a portal to Null-Time and dashed inside, bringing Brian's corpse with him, leaving it open and waiting for the overconfident fool to follow. He wasn't disappointed. The moment Savanti entered Null-Time, Marcus swatted the wand from his hand and froze the time around him, effectively locking him in place.

But Savanti, though imprisoned, was still sentient and aware, working against the confinement. He was too clever to be left to his own devices. Until Marcus could figure out a more permanent solution, he was stuck here guarding him, unable to do his very important work. With a miserable sigh, he began preparations to inter Brian as he had done with Marcellus. He could do that much at least.


	10. Chapter 8: Defying Fate I

**Defying Fate I:**

June sat in swayed in her rocker on the large front porch, humming softly to her sleeping infant daughter. The farm was so peaceful. It was the perfect place to recuperate. She felt safe here. It was the first time since she almost couldn't remember when that she had felt that way, and honestly she'd never truly expected it.

With her family history of alien abduction, along with her own personal nightmarish experiences, it seemed like she could never escape the fear. She knew that is was real, that she wasn't crazy, but she'd sought as much psychiatric help as she could. They might not believe her, but she couldn't recover from the trauma alone. Even now her mind she'd away from what her abductors had done to her. She certainly hadn't thought to meet the love of her life at an experimental university program.

In the yard in front of her, she could see him tinkering on his party wagon and had to smile. For a research scientist, he certainly had been odd, not what she'd anticipated at all. She thought he'd be someone severe, bookish and authoritarian. But he hadn't been overbearing at all. He'd been shy and silly with an absurd fascination with the hippie days 1960s and 1970s. He was fun and caring and it wasn't his research that saved her. It had been him.

But she'd been taken once more, after he'd become her lover. That final abduction had mercifully been an unremembered blur. She didn't know what had been done to her and her unborn child and didn't want to. All she recalled were a pair of strange eyes and a promise to get her to freedom. When she awoke, terrified and broken, it had been Kirby who'd come for her.

Her life with him in New York had been shattered by the experience but he wouldn't give up on her. He'd saved her once more. She still couldn't believe that he'd given up everything, his career at the university, his home and life in New York City. All for her. To see that she was happy and comfortable and safe.

And now they had a little girl. June could already see how she'd take after her father and was happy for it. The less she had to do with June's cursed family, the better. Kirby looked up from his work on the van and gave her heart-melting smile.

"How are my calendar girls doing?" She laughed lightly at his joke and stroked April's downy tuft of red hair.

"We're doing just fine."


	11. Chapter 9: The Price of Wisdom I

**The Price of Wisdom I:**

Yoshi knelt, burned and bloody, in the charred remains of his home. He wasn't aware of the wreckage. His eyes were unseeing as he replayed the events of the previous night over and over again in his mind. He couldn't stop reliving it.

Shen had taken Miwa to their bedroom to put her to sleep and he was going to put out the candles for the night when Saki, missing these past few years, stepped out of the darkened hallway into the candlelight.

He didn't even have a chance to recover from the shock of his lost brother's return before Saki attacked him. His body reacted on instinct long before his mind could catch up, saving him from the first tekkou-kagi thrust with a dodge, deflecting the strike aside bare handed.

As Saki's momentum carried him past, Yoshi swept his legs out from under him causing Saki to turn that motion into a forward roll that he stopped, facing Yoshi once more. The break barely gave Yoshi time to pull on a pair of tegaki-shuko he'd fortunately happened to leave in his hakama. It wasn't much but better than nothing. He caught Saki's gaze. Yoshi could see the pain and rage in his brother's eyes magnified by the candlelight and felt a stab of guilt. He was the one who put those emotions there after all.

Saki charged again and Yoshi ducked below the wide slash. From his crouch, Yoshi launched himself forward and upward with an open hand strike to Saki's throat. But Saki tilted his head and neck aside, letting Yoshi's strike fly past as he yanked his tekkou-kagi into a downward angle back towards Yoshi sending candles flying into the washi paper of the sliding doors in the process.

Yoshi stepped in closer, mere inches from Saki, sweeping his hand back down to catch the wrist of Saki's arm, yanking it down as his other arm hooked under Saki's other shoulder, sending him tumbling past Yoshi in a powerful throw.

The walls were alight with flames now and the smoke was making Yoshi's eyes water. The air became progressively more difficult to breathe, but Yoshi didn't have time to concentrate on anything other than this battle.

Saki came at him again with another direct thrust, that Yoshi barely stepped out of the way of, feeling one of the blades just barely graze his throat. As he moved, he lashed out to strike Saki in the back of the neck with the bladed claws of his palm, but Saki suddenly vanished into the smoke, ducking beneath the strike and spinning to land a powerful kick to Yoshi's gut, sending him sprawling through the flaming wall and scattering the fire further throughout the house.

He controlled the fall, rolling backward into a crouch, ready for the next attack. Or so he thought. Saki was already almost on him, blades forward. Then, out of nowhere, Shen was there between them, her back to Yoshi. Time slowed as the tips of Saki's tekkou-kagi blades emerged from her, out of a spraying bloom of blood from the back of her robe, the points stopping just before his nose.

The three of them stood frozen in that tableau until Shen's blood, streaming down the blades, dripped off the tips onto Yoshi's face and the moment was broken. She slid backwards off the blades towards him and he caught her lifeless corpse in his arms. He didn't care anymore. Not about Saki, not about the fire, not about his survival. He just knelt there, holding Shen's body in numb shock.

Suddenly, he was called back to reality as Miwa's wails finally managed to pierce his consciousness. Miwa! He had to save Miwa! Gently releasing his hold on Shen, he staggered to his feet towards the sound of her fading cries. They become more and more distant as he struggled blindly through the smoke and fire until he could no longer hear them.

Then the roof started collapsing in and he instinctively threw himself aside, crashing through a window and out of the building. He turned back in time to see the rest of the roof fall in crushing everything within the house in a fiery tomb.

He hadn't moved from that spot for hours, just staring and reliving those crucial moments. He had no will to move, wishing only to remain exactly where he was until he joined his wife and daughter.

He pictured his sweet little Miwa in his mind, hearing her small wails fade to nothing. He visualized his beautiful, peaceful Shen with her gentle laugh and unfailing smile, but it kept disintegrating back into the moment of her death, when she gave her life to save his. That thought struck him like a violent blow. Shen died to protect his life. If he stayed here, her sacrifice would be wasted, meaningless. Somehow he had to live.

Fighting to think, he took inventory. He was bruised, cut and burned. The bruises were irrelevant. The cuts were shallow and not even bleeding any longer. The burns were superficial. Nothing that needed to be attended to.

What was he going to do now? If he lived, Saki's vengeance wasn't complete. He'd return and other innocents could be caught in the crossfire. His clan wasn't safe if he remained. He had to leave. Get as far away as he could and start over. But the thought of leaving Shen and his home made him physically ill. He'd lived his entire life in this place, learning as a child and training his own students as an adult.

Forcing himself to his feet, he managed to trudge the relatively short distance to the dojo and storage shed. It was the New Year celebration. No one would be there. The supply truck was parked out front, empty from the last bulk delivery it had dropped off to their remote village before the start of the holiday.

He walked slowly and deliberately into the dojo looking around. In the corner, where Shen usually sat with her books and crafts while he taught, were a family portrait and assorted pictures. All he had left of them.

At that moment he lost whatever coherent thought he had managed to pull together and his actions became unthinking and rote. He started by placing the pictures in Shen's box of books and crafts and carrying it out to the truck. Then he went to the storage shed and began reconstructing the broken down boxes from the most recent deliveries.

He packed up everything. All the weapons and equipment. All the wall scrolls and dividers, even the even any dojo decoration that could be pried loose. From the shed he took everything too. The boxes of old clothes Shen had intended to donate, old housewares and dishes that they had replaced. Even the tank and supplies from her long dead pet turtle, Midori-chan. He packed and loaded up all of it until the truck was full to bursting.

Looking at it, he started as if waking up from a dream. What had he done? Why? What was he going to do with all this? Still, he didn't have the heart to unpack any of it and leave it. These were the relics of his and Shen's life. All that remained.

With a sigh, he returned one last time to the dojo to say goodbye and to retrieve the emergency funds from the safe at the back of it. It was all that remained of their savings and he dared not ask the family for more. It was better if they thought him dead. Climbing into the truck, her turned the keys in the ignition and became the long tedious drive out of the mountains and towards the coast.

* * *

It was going on two months since the attack and Yoshi was still moving about in daze, as though this was all still some nightmare that he'd wake up from. He knew that Brent was growing increasingly worried about him, but he couldn't even pretend that he was ok. He suspected that he was suffering from depression, punctuated by periodic panic attacks. It was getting worse.

San Francisco, far as it was, still felt too close to Japan. He needed to get further away. He shouldn't be here. His very presence endangered Brent's life just as it would have the Hamato clan had remained in Japan.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Upon finding himself in a small, industrial coastal city, the name of which he couldn't even recall, he'd found a cargo ship heading out to San Francisco.

He knew someone there. An English speaking pen pal that he'd meet through a language exchange program that Shen had encouraged him to try when he was too embarrassed by his poor English to consider taking on many foreign students, no matter how well qualified.

She'd been right. Practice with a native speaker had truly improved his understanding and use of the language and he'd been happy to share his native tongue. It had made him oddly proud that foreigners wished to learn Japanese.

Though expensive, he'd arranged to have his belongings mailed to Brent with a brief letter of explanation before bribing his way onto the cargo ship. He didn't want any official record of his passage and had no trouble evading customs officials upon arrival. He supposed he should be grateful no one noticed the blood stains on his dark clothing.

Brent had been excited to greet him at the docks, but became increasingly troubled, the longer Yoshi stayed with him. Yoshi understood that he wasn't the confident, pleasant man that Brent knew from his letters and Brent likely suspected that the conspicuous absences of Yoshi's beloved wife and daughter had something to do with, but was tactful enough not to ask. The pain was still too near. It took all his self-control to remain even this marginally functional and he feared speaking of it would topple him into a precipice of consuming grief.

"Ohayou gozaimasu. Kyou wa daijoubou desu ka?" (Good morning. Are you ok today?). Brent's clumsy and stilted Japanese broke through his thoughts. He knew he meant well, but Brent's concern for him was becoming a bit chafing. Things could not continue as they were. He responded to his friend in English.

"Good morning to you. I am well." Brent looked at him questioningly.

"I thank you for your hospitality, but I have…" he paused trying to produce the correct word "imposed…too long. I think that it is time I moved on." Brent's eyes widened in surprise.

"To where? I mean doko desu ka?" Where was far enough? Big enough to get lost in?

"To New York City." Brent spent a few minutes struggling with a possible response before abandoning the effort and switching to English.

"Well, if you're sure. I can keep your belongings until you give me an address to send them to." Yoshi nodded.

"Thank you again my friend."


	12. Chapter 10: The Cost of Power I

**The Cost of Power I:**

Saki lay quietly in the hospital bed, barely aware of the deep continuous pain of his burns. He was periodically tempted to leave, but for the moment had no motivation to go anywhere or do anything. And so he remained as his body slowly healed.

He was haunted by Shen's last moments. He could still see her stepping between them. They both had been so focused on the fight that neither had noticed her presence. She'd had that determined little glare she'd always worn when bossing them around as children.

She wasn't a warrior. She hadn't understood that he was already too committed to the strike to stop when she'd stepped in between. She'd obviously intended to declare the fight over and make them talk it out as she'd done countless times in their childhood.

The look of absolute shock on her face when his tekkou-kagi drove through her chest was one he'd never forget. Her hurt, confusion and disbelief as the light of her life faded from her eyes he'd carry with him in perfect clarity to his grave.

He'd just stood there, watching Yoshi stare at her lifeless corpse in his arms in shock. Neither moved for the longest time as the fire spread around them. He understood that Yoshi was going to die there with her. He'd wanted him dead with an all-consuming, burning passion, but the price he'd paid for it was too high. He considered lopping off his defenseless rivals head, but rejected it. He wanted to Yoshi to burn for this. To burn alive in this lie of a home.

He could hear a baby's cries. For a moment he wondered if he'd imagined them as Yoshi didn't seem to hear, but they grew louder and clearer before being interrupted by bouts of coughing. A baby. Shen's baby. All that remained of Shen was in that child's cries.

He dropped his tekkou-kagi and staggered to the source of the sound. He'd cautiously lifted the delicate, little life from the bed and clutched her to his chest. Her cries were weakening. He needed to get her out of here. The building was becoming unstable.

As Saki turned to leave, the roof began collapsing and he doubled over, protecting the infant with his own body, ignoring the searing pain as the burning wood pressed down upon his flesh.

Gathering his determination he burst out of the pile of burning debris and fled the house with all the speed he could muster, stumbling out into the darkness as the house collapsed behind him. He never even looked back as he carried Shen's little girl to safety.

He didn't know how long he walked until some passerby picked him up and took him to a hospital. Still reeling from the shock of Shen's death, he allowed it. He didn't know what Shen had called the girl, but she was his daughter now. The daughter he should have had with Shen. The child who should have been his. So he chose the name he would have given to his and Shen's daughter and checked her in as Karai.

It worked out well enough. He wasn't sure how to care for a child, so the hospital staff was proving useful in that regard, but it didn't change his sense of being without purpose. If things had gone right, he would have killed Yoshi and taken Shen, making her understand the drastic error she'd made. That she should have been with him. But that was lost to him now and forever.

He'd kill Yoshi to avenge her death, the deaths of his family, the years of lies, but Yoshi was already dead. He'd died too quickly. His death should have been more lingering, more painful. Saki's fists clenched painfully tugging on his burns.

Still there were others who bore blame. The Hamatos who had murdered his family, kidnapped him, lied to him and laughed as Yoshi stole Shen from him. Yes. There were others who still had to pay for his suffering. For Shen's.

He would gather his forces and they would be sorry. He would make them regret their crimes. He smiled as a renewed sense of purpose came over him. He knew what to do now. His life might be in shreds now, but he could shred theirs too. Yes, from now on, he would be the Shredder.


	13. Chapter 11: Vendetta I

**Vendetta I:**

Amaya sat in the hospital lobby, numb with grief, her mind struggling to process the past few days. She'd been on a deep cover mission for over two years now. The Hamato clan had sent her to infiltrate a particular political block of parliament and subtly redirect their extremist beliefs, when possible, while whittling away at their power base. It had been a long and tedious mission, but she had succeeded. She was very good at her work.

Now was supposed to be her down time, coming out of her deep cover persona and reconnecting with family and friends. She'd barely finished her debriefing when she heard about the fire. Past the ransacked dojo had been the remains of Shen's home.

She hadn't even known that her precious twin had gotten married. Now her other half was gone, along with a brother-in-law she vaguely recalled playing with as a child and a baby niece she'd never met. Who could have done this? Why?

When she'd seen Shen's charred corpse being pulled from the rubble, she'd turned and fled. It was suddenly real and she couldn't bear it. She and Shen might have seemed like polar opposites on the surface, despite their physical similarity, being identical twins.

Amaya had always been tough and bold, full of ferocity and anger. Shen had been playful and sweet and full of compassion. They were like night and day, two halves of a single whole. Now she was incomplete. Someone had stolen a part of her. The best part. Shen was the light to her darkness and she was lost without her.

She'd fled to the nearest city, although calling it a city might be generous, sat herself in a park and began a combination of denying what she'd seen with trying to unravel the threads of how it had been allowed to happen. Her ruminations had been rudely interrupted by a colleague she'd only known in passing.

Before she vented her pain and frustration on him, he told her about Saki and her world tilted again. And so here she was at the hospital waiting for permission to visit him. How could so much misfortune have befallen the people she cared about?

Although Saki had been more of Shen's friend, she'd liked him enough that they'd been off and on lovers over the years although both had known it was never serious. He was still a valued friend and a powerful warrior. How could he possibly have been injured enough to be hospitalized? She couldn't even picture him in a hospital. He seemed like he would be an awful convalescent. A nurse approached her.

"You can go up and see him now, but wash your hands before touching anything in the room. Burns are highly susceptible to infection." Burns? Her mind drifted back to Shen's fate as the nurse led her to the room. Could they be connected? Her thoughts completely derailed upon entering the room and she couldn't stop herself from flinching at what she could see of his face through the carefully placed bandages. He noticed, but seemed more surprised that she was here at all.

"Amaya. It's been a while."

"I've been on mission. Deep cover. Just got out." He nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you heard…?" He trailed off, his voice sounding like rusty metal as the thought drifted off.

"About Shen?" Her own voice sounded foreign to her as the words drifted out.

"Yes, I have. What happened?" She felt like she was whispering now, but her words ignited a fire in Saki's eyes, or at least the one not covered in bandages, turning him from grief to rage.

"Hamato Yoshi happened to her!" He spat the words out as though they left a bad taste in his mouth. Hamato Yoshi? She remembered him. Another close friend of Shen's. That's right, Shen, Saki and Yoshi had been inseparable as children. Clenching her jaw, she met the intensity of his gaze with her own.

"Tell me." It wasn't a request. He sighed.

"You knew Shen and I were close?" She nodded.

"After you left, we become more." He spoke carefully, keeping his good eye on her face. She shook her head.

"You and I were never serious that way. I'm actually kind of surprised it took you and Shen so long actually. She was very fond of you…" He smiled at that.

"…and Yoshi." The smile vanished.

"Yes, but he was never more than a friend, although he wanted more." Amaya stiffened at that. The thought of someone pressuring her gentle sister made her tense with fury. Saki continued.

"I was going to marry her. We had our life planned out, until he interfered. You know Yoshi's always been the golden child and I was they stray they took in. Well you could tell that the way they always had me where a different clan symbol, the foot in a circle instead of their precious Hamato flower.

"Believe it or not, it turns out that was my family symbol. The family their clan destroyed when I was a baby. They stole me and branded me with it like a sick war prize without even having the decency to tell me. But I found out eventually. And you know what the Hamatos have always thought of your family…"

Yes, she did. Her grandfather had been a Chinese WWII POW that had ended up held by the Hamato clan. They had never forgiven him for somehow falling in love with a Hamato woman despite all the animosity between their countries. He had married her and stayed in Japan. His son, her and Shen's father, had also married into the Hamato clan, but it was a thinly veiled secret that everyone was a little uncomfortable with their Chinese heritage.

Their surname was Tang, still Chinese three generations in and her parents were too proud to bury it. Instead of being ashamed, they celebrated the joint heritage, naming their twin girls with Japanese and Chinese names. Shen was Chinese and meant spirit. Amaya was Japanese, a somewhat rare name that meant night rain.

It had been awkward how her parents rubbed it in everyone's face, but Amaya had never minded. She'd always liked challenging anyone who had a problem with her and enjoyed shutting them up with her undeniable skill.

Shen had been more sensitive and Amaya had known how the snide comments and sideways glances hurt and cowed her vibrant spirit, dimming her light. That had always infuriated Amaya and had been the cause of most of her childhood fights.

She'd always thought that Saki and Yoshi protected Shen from it too. To think that she'd been mistaken about Yoshi stung. When he was sure Amaya had absorbed his meaning, Saki continued.

"He wanted her to marry him instead and the family pushed and pushed until she gave in." Amaya cringed, considering how terrible that must have been for her sister. But he was right, Shen would have buckled under such pressure even as it suffocated her very soul.

"It was more complicated than that. She was already with child." Amaya's jaw fell open and Saki clenched his jaw. "I said that we had planned to get married. We would have been married before she was born. We were just…carried away." Amaya just sat there stunned.

"Did Yoshi know?"

"No. And when she broke off our engagement to please the Hamato clan, I thought it best it stay that way." The way he said it suggested, that he did not think it best, just better for Shen's miserable new future.

"There's no way Shen could have lived with such a lie." He shook his head.

"No. She could not. A few months after our daughter was born, she couldn't take it anymore. She sent word to me that she was going to tell him." He took a deep breath before continuing as though this next part was going to be hard to tell and Amaya knew they were coming up on the end of the tale.

"I went to the house as fast as I could, but I was too late. She'd already told him and he completely lost it." His voice wavered.

"Yoshi was destroying the house when I got there. The fallen candles had already started setting the place on fire. And…she was on the ground, stabbed to death." An image of her murdered sister appeared unbidden before her eyes as Saki collected himself enough to continue.

"I heard our daughter crying and barely saved her as Yoshi burned himself to death in his own home." So that's how he was burned. Saki gestured to a bassinet to the side of his bed, which Amaya had failed to notice upon her entrance, distracted by his scars. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she approached and gazed upon her sleeping niece, all that remained of her sister, Shen.

"Her name is Karai."

"It's a beautiful name."

"I intended to raise her on my own, but…"

"No, I'll help you. I wasn't there when Shen needed me, but I will be there for Karai."

"Thank you Amaya." His soft expression hardened once more.

"There's still the matter of the people who did this to her." Amaya's wonder at seeing her niece faded as her anger resurfaced.

"Will you help me destroy the Hamato clan?" Steeling her resolve, she met his gaze unflinchingly.

"Yes I will."

* * *

Saki winced internally at each bump in the uneven road, refusing to show any outward sign of his discomfort. The hospital staff had been stunned when he checked himself out with such serious burns.

Now he lay uncomfortably in the back seat of the car that he'd summoned one of his disciples to bring. Amaya sat in the passenger seat, holding Karai. He felt no guilt about lying to her. The core of it was true. Shen's death was the fault of Yoshi and the Hamato clan. That's all that mattered.

Amaya wouldn't understand the subtle web of events that connected it all. She was stubborn, direct and impatient. It was one of the reasons he kept pushing her away after pursuing her, despite her uncanny resemblance to Shen. He had needed to rephrase the past in a different way, so she would be able to see.

And it worked. She knew who was responsible now and they were on their way to his headquarters where he could recuperate while they planned the assault that would annihilate the Hamato clan. He would have his revenge.


	14. Chapter 12: The Price of Wisdom II

**The Price of Wisdom II:**

Yoshi barely stepped out of the way in time as a small herd of children burst of the door and nearly barreled into him. A woman's voice from within yelled out.

"And stay out!" He looked back up at the pet store sign, wondering again what he was doing here. An hour ago he'd been sitting on the floor of his tiny apartment, surrounded by mountains of boxes always teetering on the verge of crushing him, like some crazy hoarder. He was miserable and lonely, with his empty life in an apartment crammed to the brim with relics of a life he'd lost.

Then his eyes, landed on Shen's turtle tank with all its trappings and equipment intact within and he had a sudden mad longing for a pet. A turtle, just like Shen's Midori-chan. He needed some purpose beyond surviving and caring for another living creature seemed like just the thing. Especially if it was a living creature of the type Shen had loved.

The apartment wouldn't seem like such an empty shell with another life in it. A life that hadn't been shattered into splinters anyway. Lately, that's how he'd been referring to himself instead of Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi was the name of another man with a different life. A real life. Splinter would suit for what he had left. It seemed appropriate.

Now that he was here, he was second guessing himself. He might already own the set up for turtle care, but the savings he brought from Japan were nearly exhausted and working as an illegal day laborer wasn't exactly covering living expenses. Could he afford to feed a pet when he couldn't even afford to feed himself? The thought of returning alone to his empty apartment erased his doubt and spurred him into the building.

* * *

John Chin walked into the shady looking pet, not yet sure what he was going to get. Not really the best store, but it was close enough to his shop and he didn't really feel like traveling farther.

He sold traditional medicines and told fortunes in his Chinatown store and when one particularly needy client had opted to pay by unloading their old reptile habitat on him, he was suddenly entranced by the idea of how such a creature would liven up his place of business, which he supposed was also his home as he lived on the floor above.

Upon entering, he saw the middle aged proprietor talking to a Japanese man near the front of the store. He was about to go browsing when he saw the ghost a lovely woman with her hand on the man's shoulder, gesturing to the tank in front of him.

Normally he ignored ghosts, but this one was so sentient and full of love, it was hard to look away. She was caring for this man and he didn't even know it. For an instant, he almost decided to go over an enlighten him, but quickly shook off that idea. He knew from experience how that would go over and wasn't looking to ruin his or anyone else's day.

Still, he couldn't help but go over and see what they were looking at. With a gasp, he saw them. Four adorable baby turtles occupied the tank. The proprietor had just started to tell the man about them. Unable to stop himself, he listened.

"They just hatched a week ago."

"So young and they can already swim?"

"Turtles are born that way."

"Do you breed them here?"

"No. My idiot assistant didn't know how to sex turtles." The Japanese man looked at her in puzzlement and she laughed.

"No, I mean, he couldn't tell whether they were male or female and mixed them in a tank. The next thing I knew, I had nesting turtle mothers. These are all from the same clutch of eggs. See the one on the rock, watching all the others. He hatched first, followed shortly by that one, trying to push him off the rock. Next came that shy one in the corner. He's an escape artist if I ever saw one. And the playful one in the water is the youngest."

"All boys?"

"That's determined by the temperature of the eggs for reptiles, so the same clutch is typically all boys or all girls." The Japanese man nodded thoughtfully as he watched the tiny creatures, fascinated by them. John knew what he wanted now. It had to be one of these little turtles. The Japanese man was here first, so he'd pick from whatever was left over.

"How much are they?" She frowned.

"Well I'm not really supposed to sell them so small." John's heart sank.

"Why? It does not look like they have a parent they'd be separated from." She shook her head.

"Oh no. Turtles don't raise their offspring. They are born self-sufficient. It's just…" She looked at the Japanese man appraisingly.

"Do you live with any small children, elderly or with anyone especially sickly?" He shook his head.

"No. I am alone." John knew that wasn't strictly true, glancing back towards the affectionate ghost.

"Good. Each turtle is five dollars, cash only." He nodded, carefully gripping the edge of the tank.

"I'll take them all." John almost choked. How selfish could this man be? Well, he wouldn't be defeated that easily.

"Excuse me, but I would really like to buy one of them as well." They both spun around, startled by the sound of his voice. Now that he could see the man's eyes and how close to madness he seemed to be, he regretted his hasty words. Did it have something to do with the ghost? Maybe he did need the baby turtles more. The lady interrupted.

"Well, there is one more." They both glanced at her.

"There were two pregnant turtles, but that idiot didn't know how to care for them and lost most of the other clutch. Only one survived from that set. Needless to say, he doesn't work here anymore." John sighed in relief.

"I'll take him."

"Her actually. The other clutch was females."

"I'll take her then. And I also live alone." Grabbing a plastic tub, she went around a corner and quickly returned with a baby turtle, handing it to him. He couldn't help but stroke her tiny body. She was so beautiful.

"You're going to have to wash your hands." He jerked his hand back as he heard the lady speak while ladling the other turtles into another plastic bin.

"Huh?"

"You too, since you touched this habitat." She gestured to the other man.

"Turtles have salmonella in their intestinal tract. Well a lot of things do, even people. But I haven't had the time to keep the tanks as clean as I'd like, so they've been living a bit in their own waste. If you keep their habitats clean and wash your hands after handling them, it should be fine. And for their health and safety, you should probably wash your hands before handling them." She gave John a pointed look and he blushed.

"There's a bathroom in the back where you can wash up." He set is turtle on the counter by the register and followed her instructions with the other gentleman close behind and his ghost trailing after.

* * *

The pet shop owner watched them go and sighed as she finished retrieving the baby turtles. She knew it was illegal to sell them, but the law was to protecting, mostly kids, against salmonella infection and these guys didn't have any of the risk factors.

She thought she'd explained the safety habits well enough that it wouldn't be a problem and even if it was, there would be no record of the transaction. She didn't buy these turtles and was selling them for cash.

Besides, she really didn't have the time or space to care for them until they were big enough to sell and they were more of a risk here, where those brats kept coming into her shop when she was in the back and picking them up. No. Illegal or not, this was the right choice. It worked out best for everyone.

* * *

Yoshi gave his last twenty dollars to the store owner and left with his new pets. Although he had no clue what he or his new pets would eat tonight, he felt content. More so than he had in a long time.

He started the long trek back to his apartment, when a strange man in a business suit bumped into him and headed into a nearby alley. His instincts screamed at him that something was amiss. The dreary fog of his recent life wasn't enough to extinguish years of training.

Impulsively, he followed the man into the alley. The man was meeting with another completely identical man, who held some kind of canister with a glowing, blue-green substance in it. There was definitely something wrong with this situation.

He was too focused on them, an unacceptable mistake for someone of his skill, but he'd be the first to admit that he wasn't at his best. Carefully stepping forward, he disturbed a rat which thanked him by sinking its sharp jaws into his heel before scampering off. His cry alerted the men to his presence.

They talked so strange that he had to assume English was a second language to them, but if so why bother with it? They clearly were intent on eliminating him for observing him. A mistake on their part. Even if he could sense more approaching from behind him.

As they attacked, a part of him he thought dead sprang to life from dormancy. They were clearly shocked as he handily defeated them all. But during the fight, the canister had been launched into the air and shattered upon striking a fire escape, spewing its contents into the alley. There was no avoiding it. It landed all over Yoshi and his turtles. The moment it touched his skin, the pain was excruciating. He fell to the ground screaming, lost in a world of agony.

* * *

John let the Japanese man buy his pets first and leave before paying for his own purchase. He couldn't wait to get her back to the shop and set her up in her new home. He'd never had a pet before and felt as excited as a child.

As he walked back to his shop, making plans in his head, the sound of agonized screaming lured him to a nearby alley. What he saw shocked him enough to drop his bin. The Japanese man lay on the ground, covered in some glowing goo, curled up and screaming at the top of his lungs.

He needed to get help. Immediately. But he had the presence of mind to grab his bin and use it to scoop up his turtle, failing to notice the goo she'd touched, and set her against the alley wall by the dumpster.

Running out into the street calling for help, he found the denizens of New York surprisingly callous and unhelpful. It was a disturbingly long time before he managed to find a police officer who, having trouble understanding his panic-thickened accent, decided to hold him until he calmed down.

When he was finally released, humiliated and fuming, he decided to return to the alley himself and drag the man to the nearest store and demand that they call for an ambulance. But the man and his turtles were gone, along with any remnants of the goo. All that remained was some torn fragments of the man's clothes. What had happened?

A tiny mewing sound drew him over to the dumpster and he gasped. His turtle was the size of a human infant, too big for her tub and looking up at him with very human dark brown eyes. She was extraordinary.

He could hear people walking on the street and wonder of her was quickly replaced by fear for her. He grabbed the torn bits of clothing, wrapped her like a baby and hurried home, clutching his precious cargo to his chest.


	15. Chapter 13: Filial Piety I

**Filial Piety I:**

John cheerfully juggled his grocery bags to get his keys out of his pockets. The shop was closed today and he was looking forward to spending it with his little Ai-Bao, his precious treasure. She would be so excited by the wonderful fruit and vegetables he'd bought. They were very fresh today. He'd even splurged on some strawberries.

Once inside, he hurried upstairs to his apartment. He didn't see her at first, but didn't panic. There was a puddle of blankets bunched up on a pillow in the corner next to the window. When he lifted them, a pair of soft brown eyes turned their gaze from the window to him and he felt another surge of joy. Her eyes lit up as he opened the carton of strawberries for her and popped one into her eager little mouth.

"Eat up my Ai-Bao. These are all for you." She smiled at him as she munched. This past month had been the happiest that he could remember. True, he never did get a pet and the reptile tank sat unused in a closet. But what he had found was so much more. It had taken him nearly a week to fully accept it, but she was a child, a little girl. His little girl.

He'd never given much consideration towards the idea of parenthood before and had always assumed that he'd never have any children. He'd never had any interest in marriage or family and had planned to spend his life as a confirmed bachelor.

The sudden arrival of a daughter, his daughter, caught him completely off guard and proved to be more joyful and fulfilling than he could ever have imagined. So fascinated with how she grew, changed and learned with each passing day had he become that he'd even started neglecting his business. But he didn't care. This time was too special to miss. He must cherish it.

She was his precious treasure, but Ai-Bao didn't seem quite right. It was something to call her, but not her name. Now that she was a month old, it was time to choose. He'd been giving the matter some serious consideration.

"Ai-Bao, would you like me to name you?" She looked up curiously at the sound of his voice.

"I will take that as a yes. How do you like Mei Pieh Chi? Does Mei Pieh Chi suit you?" She paused, giving his comment some consideration before bursting into a huge smile.

"I'll take that as a yes as well. Mei Pieh Chi, we have some letters from home. Shall I read them to you?" Seeing the letters, she gasped and waved her arms excitedly.

"I thought so." He lifted her onto his lap as he seated himself comfortably on the pillow. He'd never been fond of the infrequent letters from home, but his daughter's joy at having them read to her, had dramatically improved his opinion of them.

He'd been reading her old letters for the past month. These were the first new ones that he'd received in almost six months, although considering one had clearly been sent much earlier and had only arrived with the second as a result of some mail service error, he supposed it wasn't as infrequent as it seemed. His family would never let him stray too far.

Well, he'd start with the older of the two, to keep events in order. He was pretty sure Mei didn't understand the content of the letters, but loved hearing his voice, in his native language as he recited the words.

He started the letter, but choked up as he realized its contents. His sister-in-law, Li Na, was gone. He couldn't say he was surprised, but he grieved all the same. She'd been the one to teach him English, having learned it in school as a child. And she'd been the only one to support him when he wanted to go to America and enjoy his freedom. She'd even helped him apply for his green card. The world seemed dimmer without her in it. He would miss her dearly.

Poor Chung I. His brother had loved his delicate young wife. Everyone had chided him for his poor decision. Their home was remote and she was so delicate, frail and, well, sickly to be honest. No one had believed she could provide the heirs his brother was obliged to produce. But he had loved her and would have no other.

They were wrong. Though it had cost her life in birthing complications, she had produced a healthy heir, if only one. Da-Huan. The thought of his tiny nephew, whom he'd never seen or even been aware of before this moment did warm his heart some. He hoped his brother could take solace in the joy of his child as he had done with Mei. Willing back his tears, he managed to read the letter to her without breaking down. She would not understand his sadness. Not until she was a bit older.

He opened the second letter and his heart stopped a moment as his world collapsed around him. His brother was dead. An aneurysm they said. He must come home and take his brother's place for the sake of the family. His freedom and hard one American life were gone forever.

With more than a little grief, he set John Chin aside to become Bai-Chen Qin again. He had a duty to his family. He must raise his nephew and maintain the traditions. He must become the new Chung I. With an unsteady breath, he knew he would never be able to read this letter out loud. Instead he set it aside and looked down at his daughter.

"Mei Pieh Chi. I think it is time for you to come home with me and meet our family. You are a good girl. I know you will love your cousin very much and be happy there." She snuggled against him and he hugged her. Yes. As long has he had her, it didn't matter where he was or what responsibilities he bore. She would always be enough to make him happy.


	16. Chapter 14: The Price of Wisdom III

**The Price of Wisdom III:**

The sound of a car caused Splinter to dodge into an abandoned building, clutching the bag of discarded produce to his chest as he waited for the vehicle to pass. The noise faded and he let out a relieved breath.

Two months of scavenging, each run carrying the risk of discovery, just so they could eat, were taking their toll. Well, that could also be his insomnia. He hadn't really slept more than a few hours a night since…he'd lost Miwa and Shen. It was easier to think about them now. At least he had something to do now with his wakeful hours. But coming up to the surface like this was too risky.

Fortunately, it would only be for a little while longer. He had a plan to deal with the problem though. With the car gone and the quiet night returned, or at least as quiet as New York ever was, he thought back to that first day. It was hard to believe that it had been over two months already.

* * *

Yoshi gasped for breath as the pain finally receded. What had that substance been? Did he need a hospital? There was no way he could afford that. His baby turtles! His eyes snapped open to seek out his small charges and he froze.

Mere inches from his face, light blue eyes met his, sparkling with joy. Who? His focus widened and he saw a round green face with…freckles? What? Behind this one, he saw the others. They were the size of human babies.

One with darker blue eyes gazed up at the sky in wonder while his brown eyed brother curled up next to him, looking curiously everywhere, but unwilling to leave the safety of his brother's side. The last one had green eyes and was boldly crawling about the alley, inspecting his environment. The freckled one cuddled up to his chest and he instinctively embraced him.

However when he saw his hands close over the small shell, he almost dropped the little turtle in shock. Trembling he examined one of his hands in disbelief, following it down his arm and to his body. Fur? A tail? Touching his face, he felt his rodent-like incisors, whiskers and pointed ears. He was a rat. A giant rat! This wasn't real. It could not be happening.

A woman screamed at the entrance of the alley before dropping her groceries and fleeing. No. This was very real and they were all in danger. Some part of him was aware that the glowing chemical had caused this and still posed a threat to others. Grabbing the contaminated scraps of his clothing he quickly mopped up the remaining fluid and threw it in the dumpster, hoping that would be enough. There was no time for further precautions.

Aside from the turtle he held, the other three had curled up together, frightened by the woman's cry. He snatched the rest of them up and the now empty broken canister, looking for an escape route before the woman returned with some kind of authority, before spying a manhole cover. Not appealing but he absolutely had to protect these creatures. If they were discovered, they would never see the outside of a lab.

He could hear someone coming and rushed underground without a second thought. It was dark and smelly below, but his new eyes were surprisingly able to handle the dim light and despite enhanced senses, he found the smell didn't particularly bother him. Still, he knew this place was not clean and refused to set the turtles down in any of this.

Instead, he kept walking for what seemed like hours until he realized that he was no longer in a sewage tunnel, but on a subway track instead. There was a moment of panic when he found himself standing on the power rail followed by the realization that if it had been live, he would already have been electrocuted to death. This line must not be in use anymore. At least there was no chance of being run over by a subway train then.

Taking comfort in that, he kept following the track, knowing he had to find a safe place to rest, but not sure what that would be. Upon seeing the turnstiles that indicated a station, he ducked into an alcove before a few moments of silence reminded him that no one else was here.

Cautiously, he explored past the turnstiles and gasped in wonder. It was a completely abandoned station and concourse. It obviously hadn't seen any use in a long time, but he could still see how nice it had once been with its detailed brickwork and gothic stone arches. Even the flooded stairwell to a lower level had a type of beauty to its design.

It opened into a large space with long benches to sit on. One corner had appliance hook ups, probably for what had once been a concession store or small restaurant. There was a public restroom, likely turned off now and several rooms that could have contained smaller stores. Part of the large space had been divided off by a metal door that people had started to use for large refuse storage before abandoning cleaning the site entirely.

Still, it was the concourse that fascinated him the most. He took a few steps up to it from the sitting area. It had more of the architecture that defined this station and wood paneling on the walls that somehow managed to survive intact. The floor was cement, but there had once been a support pillar that was now missing. It left a massive hole in the ground that had since filled with dirt and refuse, while light, real sunlight, from an overhead grate filtered down into the room.

He examined the entire station in detail to be sure it was uninhabited and safe and found that all the stairwells to the surface had been completely sealed. This was a good place, what they needed, what he'd been looking for. Wandering back into the concourse, he curled up with his young turtles and slept.

* * *

It hadn't taken him too long to figure out how to turn the water back on, but he quickly realized that he couldn't stay. When his hungry young wards finally cried themselves to sleep that second night, he'd left them to search for food on the surface for the first time. Fortunately, America threw away more food than he would ever have thought possible.

His life quickly fell into a new pattern. He would clean, feed and chase after his little turtles while they were awake and head to the surface while they slept, which could be upwards of twelve hours a day. They were still babies after all.

Food was his priority, but he quickly found himself returning to his apartment to retrieve his possessions, box by box. It took almost two weeks to finally move it all. The first box he'd brought back had been clothing. He'd like to say it was to have something like blankets to wrap his turtles in while they slept, but truly, he could not adjust to the sense of being naked.

He wasn't of course. He was covered and fur and a giant rat besides. He had no possible need for clothes. Yet, the first thing he did was fashion a loin cloth out of an old sheet and put on one of his grandfather's robes. They were large and loose enough to fit over his new body shape.

He also learned to wrap both his hands and feet in cloth. Shoes would never fit him again and it was not uncommon for him to switch to four feet when he wanted to move fast. As the turtles become more mobile, he learned to wrap their hands and knees too.

For the most part the boxes remained pack. The only thing he'd removed beyond some semblance of clothing was the family portrait from his old life that he set up on the wood railing in the concourse. When he did that, he finally admitted that he was not Hamato Yoshi anymore and never would be again. Henceforth, Splinter would suffice.

* * *

Breaking free of his memories, he chided himself for wasting time in the dangerous surface world. He knew better. What would his turtles do if something happened to him and he never returned to them?

Shoving away that unpleasant thought, he was about to look for a way back below ground when something caught his eye. He was in a long abandoned building in the middle of an industrial metropolis. Yet somehow a young tree had taken root and managed to grow in this place, surviving on the limited sunlight that the crumbling walls allowed through.

Until someone came along and bulldozed this place. He could not leave it here to be destroyed. Casting about, his eyes landed on an old plastic bucket. Careful not to injure it, he gently dug the tree up, placed it in the bucket and took it home with him.

* * *

Upon returning home, he checked on his turtles. One lifted his sleepy head and blinked blearily at him. Splinter gently stroked his head until he fell back asleep. He set the bag of produce nearby so that they could enjoy it when they awoke.

Then he checked on the algae. Shen's turtle tank was getting some use as an algae farm, in the rays of sunlight streaming into the room. He also sprinkled some dead leaves he'd collected into the nearby buckets of worms and dirt.

The algae and worm populations were just getting started, but he hoped to be completely sustained by them soon. The protein of the worms and vegetative nutrients of the algae should provide for all their needs without any dangerous forays into the surface world. He didn't mind. He hadn't actually enjoyed eating food since he'd lost his wife and daughter and now that he was a rat, his palate was much less discerning.

As he dug into the dirt filled hole in the floor, he could have pretended that he'd brought the tree for the practical purpose of feeding its fallen leaves to the worms, but there wasn't much sense lying to himself. Placing the tree from the bucket to the newly dug hole, he patted in the dirt around it and admired his work. This tree was a survivor and he respected that. It felt right having it here with them.

* * *

"No kame-bou! Do not play with that!" He scooped up the brown eyed turtle, playing with the electrical outlets before his freckled brother caught his attention.

"Do not eat that!" He hurried over to pull a rock out of the youngest turtle's mouth, before cries of the other two tested his patience. Still carrying the brown eyed one, he rushed over to the older two who were scuffling not far away. How could they fight? They couldn't even walk on two feet yet.

He sighed, prying them apart and tried not letting his frustration flow over. He'd learned emotional control techniques while training in ninjutsu, but never imagined how those methods would get their ultimate testing. What made him think he could do this? Raising four boys by himself was madness.

"Kame-bou, you must not fight. You are brothers. You should look after each other." But they weren't paying attention to him. With a sigh, he followed their gaze and gasped. The freckled one had gotten into Shen's box of books and crafts.

His first instinct was to run over, snatch the box away and yell at the small creature. Unbidden an image of Shen's reaction to such behavior stopped him. Controlling his breathing, he set the brown eyed turtle down with his brothers and moved slowly over to the box.

The adorable little turtle looked up at him chewing on the end of an orange cloth streamer. It warmed his heart and he plucked the cloth out of the turtle's mouth, tying it around its shell instead.

"It suits you kame-bou." The baby turtle smiled and clapped his hands, before his green eyed brother appeared beside him and began tugging on the streamer, much to the smaller turtle's dismay. Splinter quickly stopped him and saw his eyes fill with tears.

"No. Don't cry Kame-bou. Wait a minute." He dug through the box and pulled out red streamer that he affixed around the proud little turtle's shell. Now the brown eyed one glanced between his colorful brothers before looking hopefully into the box.

"Well, why not? You may have one too." He found a blue and purple cloth and offered them to the curious little turtle who clamped onto the purple one. As he finished tying it on, he noticed the last blue eyed turtle leaning against his knee and looking up at him expectantly. Of course. He gave him the blue fabric.

Hmm. Happy as they were, they looked trussed up like presents. He would have to come up with a better way for them to wear their cloth streamers. The orange one crawled into his lap, quickly followed by the other three brothers.

"Would you like a story Kame-bou?" They all nodded eagerly and he sighed. He was going to have to name them something better than 'baby turtle' or at least give them unique names. This was going to get confusing soon. He considered some of the lullabies or children's tales that he'd once told Miwa, but none felt right.

Sitting next to Shen's box, he impulsively pulled out one of her books and spread it open in front of him. Of course it was a book on western Italian Renaissance art, one of Shen's more obscure interests. Not exactly great reading for children. But they were staring entranced at the pictures. Very well then. He flipped through the pages. When he got to the Sistine Chapel, the blue eyed freckled turtle tumbled out of his lap to get a better look.

"Is that one your favorite Kame-bou?" He nodded eagerly and clapped his little hands.

"It is by the artist Michelangelo." More excited clapping. Hmm. They needed names. Why not?

"Kame-bou, would you like to be Michelangelo?" An excited nod confirmed it.

"Then Michelangelo it is." Now for the rest of them. Several pages later, the one with darker blue eyes, jumped up and down in his lap at the sight of one of Da Vinci's designs for a flying machine. Yes. He'd always loved the sky.

"Would you like to be Leonardo, Kame-bou?" He nodded reverently.

"Very well." The green eyed turtle pushed passed his brothers and began flipping through the pages with a single minded determination, before stopping and pointing emphatically at a painting of Saint George by Raphael. The knight on horseback, swinging a sword at a dragon really did suit his bold little turtle.

"Yes. You shall be Raphael then." The last little turtle tugged on his robe with a hopeful expression.

"Let's see what we can find for you?" Returning to the book, he slowly turned the pages, letting the inquisitive little creature examine them at his leisure. He stopped the page turning at a sculpture called Zuccone by Donatello. It reminded Splinter of an early western philosopher or perhaps a Buddhist monk. Either way, it seemed to fit his gentle, inquisitive young turtle.

"Would you like to be Donatello then?" The little turtle nodded. Names decided, he started to read to them from the book, as best as he could. He was pretty sure he was guessing at the pronunciation of a lot of the words. Not that it mattered. His boys were soon asleep again. His sons.


	17. Chapter 15:Filial Piety II

**Filial Piety II:**

Chung I finished his most recent journal entry and looked out from the balcony of the monastery where his disciples chased after Da-Huan and Mei Pieh Chi, crawling about the courtyard.

The air here was fresh and clean. He'd forgotten that. It was a good place to raise Mei and Da-Huan was a good brother for her. He'd never wanted his brother's mantle, but now fully invested in it, he discovered he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would. He was happy here with his family.

The other monks had been shocked when he'd presented his daughter to them, but no one would dare say a word against him. Imagine his surprise when he found that she was his daughter in body as well as heart.

When testing Da-Huan's affinity with Chi, he'd discovered Mei had it too. Such a thing was only possible in a descendent of the Qin. He didn't know how such a thing could be, but somehow she was his physical daughter and he was proud of her. Perhaps someday, he would understand it well enough to explain it to her. Until then he was just happy to be home.

Mei wouldn't have to hide here. She could be herself in this small community and have friends and family. Sad as they events leading him here had been, this was where he was meant to be.


	18. Chapter 16:Redemption II

**Redemption II:**

Arnold stared through the glass at the tiny sleeping form in the NICU, waiting to wake up. Nothing had seemed real since this afternoon. Things had been going great. His hockey career had really taken off. Although it was a long commute, he'd already been playing his first season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL with dreams of being pulled up to the New York Islanders. His wife and son were amazing and he had a second child on the way. His life had been perfect.

He'd been teaching his three year old son about his different tools, even though he no longer worked as a mechanic. Arnold Casey Jones had been named for him, but he'd never been a big fan of Junior, so they'd called the boy Casey to avoid confusion.

Then came the knock. He'd been expecting Gabrielle, so the door was unlocked and she knew it. All the same, he'd gotten up to open it for her. Instead of Gabrielle stood a somber pair of police officers.

That's when it started. The nightmare tale of a car accident with Gabrielle's cab. He'd grabbed up Casey and rushed to the hospital, but there had been nothing they could do. She'd arrived too late with too many injuries. As it was, they'd barely been able to save little Maria Isabella, what Gabrielle had wanted to name her, and she wasn't even due for another month and a half.

His mind rebelled against the idea that his Gabrielle was gone, while he looked upon his helpless new daughter. What was he going to do? He couldn't care for them alone. Not as a hockey player anyway. Maybe his old boss would take him back. They'd parted on good terms.

A tug on his pant leg alerted him to Casey's presence beside him and he scooped up his son. He'd do whatever he had to take care of them. Somehow, some way they would get through this. A determination he'd never felt before, not even when he'd set aside the bottle for Gabrielle, lit like a fire within him.

"Casey. That's your little sister Maria and we're going to take care of her."


	19. Chapter 17: Vendetta II

**Vendetta II:**

Amaya watched as a four year old Karai executed her martial arts basics. For such a small child, she showed great promise. Amaya wanted more than anything to hug her and tell her what a wonderful job she was doing, but refused to allow herself that joy.

"Again! You want the motion of your strikes to snap!" Amaya was here often enough to train her, but not often enough to protect her. After hunting down the last of the Hamato clan, she'd found her relationship with Saki once again becoming dissatisfying.

Despite their common purpose, she did not belong among the Foot clan. She was no underling and did not play well with others. Recently, she'd found her stride as a freelance spy and assassin, under the name Headhunter.

It kept her busy and well paid, but it also kept her away from Karai. She avoided long missions, but anything could happen during even a short absence. She could not bear for Karai to be murdered like her mother before her. So she trained her as hard as she could push, determined that Karai would never be weak or powerless. She would never be at anyone's mercy.

"Again! I want to see more power in your strikes!" No Karai would realize her full potential and woe to anyone who ever dared tried to harm her.


	20. Chapter 18: The Price of Wisdom IV

**The Price of Wisdom IV:**

Splinter examined his handiwork in the concourse and found no fault. This would do just fine. Gone were the algae tanks and worm tubs. Since Donatello had out figured how to turn electricity back on, those things had been moved to the storage room under artificial light.

Or more appropriately, Donatello's lab, as for the safety of the family, he'd been forced to start conducting his experiments there rather than in their living space. Who would have thought discarded electronics would have such a tendency to blow up. Or maybe they didn't until his clever young son got a hold of them.

Splinter had been going up to the surface more frequently lately to finish his current project. He'd done it off and on to gradually furnish their home from the discarded objects of the surface world.

He'd found electronics for Donatello to play with, some of which he destroyed, some of which he repaired or improved into working order, such as the television set that entranced his brothers.

Granted it was a useful tool for improving the limited English he'd been able to teach them. He still preferred his native tongue, but knew that living in an English speaking city required them to know the local language even if he never intended them to interact with the city's other residents, ever.

Even so, he didn't care for the television as it only seemed to highlight to his sons how different they were from everyone else. That was a fast approaching discussion he was not looking forward to.

Although they still slept together, more on the couch now than the concourse, he suspected they'd soon want their own space and had taken to finding doors to create separate rooms out of the various alcoves from which vendors had once hawked their wares.

What he could not find, he built. Donatello was not the only one to work in the 'lab,' although it was rapidly becoming more his son's domain than his own. He'd even picked up the odd kitchen appliance, which Donatello had dutifully repaired and hooked up. Not that they ever actually cooked anything but Michelangelo really enjoyed playing at it and it added to the sense of home.

He'd even repurposed an old tire as a swing for them and made a type of treehouse out of old planks and a pipe hanging down into the living area. Lately, most of his work had been on the concourse.

He'd slowly covered the floor with thick rugs and started hanging the weapons he'd brought from Japan on the walls. He'd even constructed a private space for himself at the back for when he desperately needed time to meditate on his own.

There was a natural alcove in the back wall, where he suspected tickets had once been sold. It was small, but it was comfortable. While he'd constructed the sliding doors to his little room himself, he'd decorated them with the remnants of his old dojo in Japan.

He'd even made decorative coverings for the arches into the concourse to give the space some privacy from the rest of their home. Yes. This place would do nicely to direct the boundless energy of his sons.

He cringed as a loud crash and screams from the living area brought him out of his thoughts. Yes, it was done and not a moment too soon. Opening one of the sliding dividers to the stairs down to the living space, he saw Leonardo and Raphael glaring at each other nose to nose while Michelangelo cowered behind Leonardo.

"Let me at him!"

"He didn't mean it!"

"Yes he did and I don't care!" Kids.

"Boys!" They stopped immediately and lined up in front of him, which he supposed was probably more than one could reasonably ask from near five year olds. Donatello curiously poked his head out of the lab.

"Follow me." He led them into the concourse. No, not the concourse anymore, the dojo.

"It is time to begin your training."


	21. Chapter 19: Defying Fate II

**Defying Fate II:**

June felt bad about lying to Kirby, but she couldn't face him right now. At least the fever and chills were real enough to convince him that she was sick. April would be safe at the fair with him. As long as she wasn't here.

June's nightmares had been getting worse and Kirby was becoming concerned. She knew that after all he'd given up to live with her here, she shouldn't be begging him to leave, but she couldn't help it. Somehow, she just knew the aliens were coming for her. For April. She couldn't let that happen. Couldn't allow her husband to lull her into a false confidence no matter how good his intentions were. She had to protect her daughter.

If only she could recall the details of her nightmares when she awoke. But she'd gotten something this time. And for April's safety, she knew that she needed to check it out alone.

Taking a deep breath, she drew back the carpet in the entrance hall to reveal a trap door that somehow she'd known was there. Cautiously, she grabbed the ring handle and pulled it open. There were stairs down to an eerily familiar cellar. Every fiber of her being rebelled at the idea of going down there, but she had to. For April.

Pulling the chain for the light at the bottom of the stairs, she gasped, momentarily paralyzed in terror. It was one of the alien ships. In her cellar. How? Suddenly, the walls she'd built in her mind to protect her from the memories of her childhood shattered.

They'd always been here. For generations. Experimenting on the family. Since her great-grandfather had found the ship and been forced to build their home around it. She'd been brought to them time and time again as a child, until she'd fled. Repressing almost all of it. She'd locked it away to protect herself.

But the aliens had still found her. They'd tracked her down. She thought she'd been running away from them, by returning to her old family home. But she was running right back into their clutches. All but delivering April to them. Some part of her must have known. That's why she was having the nightmares.

At some point she realized that she was on her knees screaming, as the aliens dragged her into their ship, talking in that unnatural way that sent shivers of terror down her spine. The panic overpowered her and for an indeterminate amount of time she was aware of nothing but her violent, desperate struggles. A needle plunged deep into the base of her neck and she blacked out with an agonizing scream.

* * *

June awoke with a blaring headache as she collapsed to the ground. Her restraints had been released? How? Why? An alien robot hoisted her roughly to her feet as it spoke to another of its kin. She wasn't really listening as she thrashed to free herself, but a few key words penetrated her mind. Agent. Target. Harvest. DNA. She tuned in.

"…the one that is called April O'Neil when the one that is called April O'Neil is what is called fully developed." The pieces came together in a rush. She was the agent. April was the target and they were going to harvest her daughter's DNA whenever she reached what they considered to be fully developed.

"No! You will not use me! I will never give my child to you!" For a moment the alien robots seemed to gape down at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"The one who is called June O'Neil has been determined to be what is called uncooperative. That which is called a replacement has been what is called constructed." Suddenly her eyes focused on what was in front of her. Sleeping in some kind of a glass tube was a mirror image of herself. A fake version of her to betray her daughter!

There was an open control panel under the console beside the tank with visible wiring. She had an idea. No longer was she a terrified, helpless victim. It was time to take action. For April.

For a moment she let herself go limp and their grips loosened. Then with a burst of adrenaline she dove forward towards the open panel. They were only seconds behind her as he ripped out the cables, grateful that they were insulated and not burning her to a crisp as she did this, and thrust them into the brain-like creatures in the stomachs of the robots, frying them both.

As the robots collapsed to the ground, stinking of burning flesh, she sighed in relief. A whooshing noise drew her attention towards the tube with the fake her and her jaw dropped as it froze solid. Pulling the cables must have done that.

Using one the robot arms, she banged uselessly on it until she determined that it was not within her power to destroy it. Well as long as no one unfroze it, it would probably by ok. Looking down at the alien corpses made her suddenly ill. Yes they deserved it and yes it had to be done. For April's sake. But she was not a killer.

A very ingrained, human need to cover up her crime overwhelmed her. Without giving it much thought, she dragged the robot bodies with their dead aliens over to an open utility closet and stuffed them in. It took longer than she liked to move both. She slammed the door shut, relieved that, when closed it sort of blended in with the wall. Hopefully the smell wouldn't alert anyone. Assuming they decayed like Earthlings.

She had to get out of here and find Kirby. When she showed him this, he would believe her. He would know too. He would understand why they had to take April and run. Find somewhere far away to hide.

Making plans in her head, she clambered up the steps, closed the trap door and carefully covered it up with the rug. No one else but Kirby must know. She couldn't trust anyone else. She could run down the road a ways. Eventually someone would drive along and she'd hitch a ride to the fair. She'd find Kirby and everything would be ok. He would keep her and April safe.

"Kraang. Why does the one who is called June O'Neil not have what is called an escort?"

"Kraang does not care. Kraang will do what is called getting her." Her stomach felt leaden with dread as she turned in time to see two more aliens next to an alien ship parked at the edge of the woods.

"While Kraang does what is called retrieving the one who is called June O'Neil, Kraang will prepare the ship to return to Dimension X. Kraang should do what is called hurrying up." June wanted to run, but her legs felt like jelly. She just stood there when she should have been fleeing. No! This couldn't be happening. She was so close to freedom. It wasn't fair. The last thing she saw was a pink burst of light traveling straight towards her face.


	22. Chapter 20: Redemption III

**Redemption III:**

Maria clapped wildly from her stroller as Arnold stepped in front of the rubber ball that his son had just launched with his plastic hockey stick. Their roller blades glided over the old basketball court that was their rink.

"No goal. Good shot boy!" Casey zoomed past, regaining control of the ball with his stick again.

"Try to stop this one dad!" Another slap shot, hard and fast. Arnold dove for it, but it zoomed right past him, into the wire fence around the court.

"Goal!" Casey zipped around doing a victory dance on his skates, until he tripped over an empty beer bottle. He flailed widely for a moment as Arnold pushed himself up to rush over to him, but the boy was a natural on skates and somehow managed to catch himself. He was now glaring down at the offending obstacle.

"What's that doing here?" Arnold picked it up and skated it over to the trashcan.

"Left here by some careless jerks, probably."

"So what is it?"

"Bad stuff." He took Casey by the shoulders and looked into his son's eyes.

"It's not good for you. You're going to be great athlete one day. Maybe you'll even win a Stanley Cup. That's why you have to stay away from stuff like that. It will ruin you and make you sick. Got it?" Casey nodded.

"Gotta take care of yourself boy. You're gonna do great things. No drinking the stuff that comes in those bottles. Promise?"

"I promise dad."


	23. Chapter 21: Defying Fate III

**Defying Fate III:**

Kirby glanced over at his sleeping six year old daughter in the passenger seat. It had been a rough few months and he wasn't really sure he'd ever sleep well again. At least April was doing ok. Not that she'd slept well either. The van's motion must have lulled her to sleep. Good.

It had been almost three months since June had vanished. It probably would have been even more horrible, if he hadn't had an iron clad alibi. They usually suspected the spouse in these things and he didn't think he could have borne that.

He'd taken April to the local fair to see the farm animals. June was supposed to join them, but she'd come down with a cold and was going to stay home and recuperate. He and April had a great time, catching up with distant neighbors, petting the animals in the 4-H program, eating way too much fair junk food.

But when they'd gotten home, June was gone. Nothing was out of place, she just wasn't there. He'd had to wait twenty four hours before he could report her missing. The whole community joined in the search.

Even though he'd been seen by many people throughout the day, he still felt the sting of suspicion, despite her having called some friends during the fair to explain her failure to meet them there. Eventually, the searching dropped off and she'd been declared to have run off, though none of her belongings were missing.

He couldn't help recall, her tales of abduction early in their relationship. He knew it was supposed to be delusion. There was no such thing as alien abduction. But on some visceral level, he'd believed her. They'd taken her again and he had no way to get her back.

Since the abduction, he'd become increasingly paranoid living in the farmhouse. So he'd applied for a position at his old university. He still knew some people and they'd hooked him up with a lecturer position. Not the most prestigious work, but it was a start. Enough to get them back to New York and away from the aliens. He might not be able to save June, but no matter what he would protect April. Somehow, she would be safe.


	24. Chapter 22: Huntress I

**Huntress I:**

She swept through the forest, swift and unseen, all predator. She was the main provider for her pack. They looked up to her and depended on her. The creatures of the forest feared and respected her, well maybe not the polar bear. But the rest, most certainly.

This was life, the way it was meant to be. The thrill of the hunt was upon her as she caught the scent of a small rodent. An easy kill. Snap! What was this? A cage! Angrily, she battered her body against the sides of the cage as a human in a white lab coat lifted her up.

"Looks like we caught an artic fox this time."

* * *

The pain was finally gone, but she was strong. She had survived it. Just as she would survive this captivity and return home to her pack. Wincing as her body echoed the memory of her pain, she struggled to her feet, but her legs and arms were in the wrong proportion. She could still stand, but she was not as perfect as she'd once been. What had happened to her?

* * *

Alopex crouched resentfully in her cage. She wasn't sure how long she'd been here as it had taken considerable effort to grasp the way humans counted time's passage. They called her Alopex, their only success, sort of. They'd been calling her Alopex so long, that by the time, she'd learned enough to grasp their language, the name had already been ingrained in her.

It didn't matter. She still hated the humans that caged her. In her time here, she'd watched as they had changed other prisoners, all into useless piles of goo or ravening monsters that needed to be destroyed. She was the only one changed with some semblance of sense, but she would not allow them to tame her. It was obviously their goal and she would not give them the satisfaction.

Glaring at the scientists with her golden eyes, she observed from the confines of her cage. A male scientist was berating a female scientist, holding some of the glowing pain substance.

"Be careful with the chemical. Headquarters only sends us so much. We must use it sparingly."

"Why? It's not like we're making any progress."

"What about Alopex?"

"The project is called 'advanced animal domestication.' Does she look domesticated to you? If she ever gets out of there, she's going to eat all of us."

"Obviously the hard part is getting a workable transformation. She'll come around with training."

"I'm not so sure."

"Just keep at it, you're getting paid enough aren't you?"

"Yeah, although since hunting for test subjects on protected land isn't strictly legal, I'd kind of expect to." He shrugged.

"Just be grateful that it's your job instead of being run in-house."

"Why didn't they bring in their own people? I mean besides the obvious language barrier. Seriously, with their money you'd think they could get some better translation software for their instructions. Have they not heard of pronouns?"

"I think they'd make the locals in Fairbanks uncomfortable so we lucked out. Just take the money and work through it. Then start your own lab somewhere else." She sighed and accepted his recommendation. Alopex continued to quietly plot their deaths.

Suddenly, many more humans than Alopex had ever seen appeared, slicing through the hated scientists with sharp pieces of metal. Their faces and bodies were completely covered, but each had unique scents. One who was different emerged from among them and approached the one at the computer. She wore different clothing and although her face was still covered, her mask was very different from the rest of theirs. Her long hair trailed along the ground as she walked.

"Don't download all of it. Just the preliminary data."

"But Kitsune, Mr. Howard hired us to…"

"Mr. Howard hired us to shut down this facility. Gathering the data is a secondary objective."

"Which we can easily achieve. Why should we betray our client?" This Kitsune ignored him and strode over to Alopex's cage.

"Because we are loyal to the clan first." She gazed into Alopex's eyes and held her spellbound.

"You understand everything don't you?" She nodded.

"You are a hunter not a prisoner. If I free you, will you hunt for us?" Alopex gave this some thought. She yearned to go home, but by this time, understood that she would not be welcome in her current form. There was no place for her anymore. But she was still a hunter. If her saviors would let her be that, what could be the harm in helping them?

"Yes. I will hunt for you. Now set me free."


	25. Chapter 23: What Lies in Shadow III

**What Lies in Shadow III:**

Kitsune stood in the Tanana Valley near Fairbanks, Alaska, breathing in the air. She wasn't supposed to be on this mission, but her geomancy had detected a confluence of elemental power here. Well it had detected it in a lot of places, but this one called out to her.

Back at the base, she knew that her ninja were burning the facility and loading up Alopex for presentation to the Shredder. He would see her usefulness immediately and no questions would be asked about Kitsune's presence. With the strength of his will, she had to walk more carefully around this one. That suited her fine though. She had no use for the weak of will.

It was summer and still bright despite the late hour this close to the Arctic Circle. The Chinook wind made the atmosphere warm and the settling smoke of wildfires filled the air. Yes, this place was elemental.

She closed her eyes and listened to the forest. Its spirit was sentient and alive feeding the land and protecting the creatures within. It was a two natured being and she required the other side of its existence.

With the press of a button, several charges went off, igniting the forest. She waited patiently for the flames to rage out of control as they consumed the woodland. The spirit of the forest writhed and transformed into a being of flame and destruction, sowing the seeds for the rebirth of its other self. But that was not to be.

Summoning her power, she coalesced the energy into the medallion of fire. Once it was in her clutches she walked out of the burning forest, leaving the land to fend for itself as the fire was freed to lay waste upon the landscape with no will or intelligence to check or direct its wanton destruction.


	26. Chapter 24: Lost I

**Lost I:**

Karai dodged as Alopex dived at her and tried sweeping out the fox's legs, but with her animal grace, she was too quick. Although Alopex's features were far from human, Karai could detect a smile. She was enjoying this fight. And why wouldn't she? Karai was enjoying it too.

No one else trained so unreservedly against her, save her aunt and her father and they were way out of her league. Alopex was more her level and it was an interesting challenge to fight someone, who while untrained, possessed so much natural combat instinct. It got her out of her comfort zone and she liked that.

Still Alopex was picking up their art quickly. Their next charge ended in a draw, with Alopex's retractable talons poised above her abdomen and the tip of Karai's blade less than an inch from the fox's throat.

"Yame!" They both halted and turned to her father, bowing.

"Karai. Amaya is back from another mission and wishes to see you." Karai's heart soared. Her aunt was back? She couldn't wait to show her all that she'd learned. She glanced back at Alopex who smiled at her encouragingly.

"Just you. Kitsune needs to see Alopex for another mission."

"Hai." They responded in unison before parting ways. She'd catch up with Alopex later. She hoped the spritely fox wouldn't be gone too long this time. Alopex was her only friend, assuming she even knew what that meant. Neither had ever had a friend before so it was hard to tell. But Alopex would always return home and they'd become stronger together. She could always depend on that.


	27. Chapter 25: Brotherhood I

**Brotherhood I:**

Raph's action figures dived and attacked one another, not as the commandos they appeared to be, but as ninja. Suddenly his door burst open without even the pretense of a knock and a seven year old Mikey came bounding in.

"Hey Raph! I'm bored. Wanna play?"

"No! Get out!" The moment he saw the crestfallen look on Mikey's face, he regretted the words, but he couldn't seem to get his brain to catch up with his mouth. Mikey slinked away and he tried to go back to playing but the fun was gone.

With a sigh, he threw down the toys and went to look for Mikey. Father and Leo were in the dojo meditating. Well, Father was meditating. Leo was just looking around and reminding himself that he was supposed to be still. Boring. Donnie was in his lab, elbow deep in wires. Boring.

Unsurprisingly, Mikey was in the kitchen, although if he hadn't been able to guess, he could have followed the whimpers. Mikey sat on the floor in with a wooden spoon in front of a big pot of algae, pretending to cook again and trying very hard not to cry. Making sure, no one else could see them, Raph slid down to the floor next to Mikey with a sigh.

"Watcha making?" Mikey sniffed.

"Algae pudding."

"Mind if I try some?"

"Really?" Mikey brightened up and passed him the spoon. It tasted like every other meal that Raph could remember. He smiled.

"It's great Mikey. You've really outdone yourself this time."

* * *

Mikey, was so excited. He finally found some. They were real and they were awesome! Balloons! Sure they tasted kind of funny, but nothing a quick rinse down couldn't fix. Hmm, what should he do with them? Sensei's room was off limits. Even he wasn't that crazy. He could hear Raph and Leo sparring in the dojo. Their sparring always involved a lot of yelling at each other. Donnie! Perfect!

This was going to be better than the time he'd hidden Raph's dolls, or wait no, action figures. Raph always hit him for calling them dolls. It would be better than the time, he slightly rearranged Leo's comic books. It had driven him nuts for weeks. It was totally Donatello's turn.

Sensei said that he couldn't play with the stuff in Donnie's lab, but this wouldn't count. Blowing up the balloon, he hurried off. Donnie was asleep in his rolling chair thing. Excellent! Mikey snuck up behind him and held up the balloon, ready to pop it, but stopped.

Donnie looked really tired. How long had he been awake this time? Hmm, and he was shivering. Suddenly, Mikey had a better idea. He left with his balloon, to turn the oven on and came back fifteen minutes later.

As Mikey draped the warm blanket over his brother, Donnie sighed contentedly, but otherwise didn't stir. Mikey snuck off with a smile. Best idea ever. Although he'd totally get him with the balloon next time.

* * *

Donnie gave the pipe one more turn with his wrench, before relaxing back against the tile of the bathroom wall. He could hear Leo coughing from the couch in the living area just outside. No one was happy when one of them was sick, especially Leo. They all did what they could to help.

Sensei hovered, offering homeopathic Japanese remedies. Mikey was making Algae and worm soup. Raph had actually turned on Space Heroes for Leo, even though he personally hated the show.

Knowing that the cold had to run its course, Donnie could only focus on preventing illness in the future. He'd probably gotten sick swimming in the fetid water. Well that would happen again. They were turtles and even Donatello had to admit his desire to swim no matter how much his brain told him it was a bad idea. It was just instinctual.

In the corner, he could see a tin tub under a facet, but that was where they'd been bathed as children and no one wanted to use it now. Still, if they wanted to swim, they needed to be clean.

So he'd converted some of the restroom fixtures to showerheads and added a floor drain. It probably wouldn't get much notice, like many of the things he did, but it would help. And Donnie liked to help his family, whether or not he was recognized for it. With the showers, they wouldn't get sick as often and that's what he cared about. He could hear Leo coughing again. Get well brother.

* * *

"Mikey! What did you draw on my shell!?"

"Don't freak out! It's my masterpiece!"

"Oh someone's gonna be in pieces alright!" Donnie gasped as Raph chased Mikey into his lab. Raph ignored Donnie's distress. Whatever they broke, he could always fix later and right now, Raph really needed to break Mikey.

Just as Raph lunged for him, Mikey jumped off one of the walls, launching himself out of his brother's clutches. With a grunt, Raph collided with the wall, causing the shelf above to collapse on top of him. Mikey shrieked and Donnie cried out.

"My cockroaches!" Before Raph had a chance to process that, he was covered in countless feathery insect feet and feelers. With scream, he retreated into his shell but they followed him there. He wasn't sure how long he was in there screaming, but after a short eternity, the little monsters were driven off by a series of air puffs.

"Raph? You ok?" Leo's voice. Shaking, he slowly came out of his shell, to see Leo standing in front of him, with canned air in one hand and the other reaching out to him. He didn't trust himself to speak yet, so he just nodded stiffly.

"Why don't we go get that paint off your shell?" Another stiff nod and he let Leo help him up. He'd never say it, but it was nice to have his big brother looking out for him. Still shuddering, he allowed Leo to lead him away and just prayed he could forget this ever happened.

* * *

Leo sighed in frustration. He'd done the kata more times than he could count, but he made a mistake, every time. And it wasn't even the same mistake. Whenever he corrected something, he screwed up a different part. Why wasn't he any good at this? He worked harder than anyone else. He ought to be better.

"Hey dude, wanna spar?" Leo almost tripped over himself.

"Mikey?" Mikey never wanted to spar. What was going on?

"I'll never get any better if I don't practice right?"

"Who are and what have you done with my brother?"

"Oh, come on Leo."

"Fine." They took positions on opposite sides of the dojo and Leo bowed while Mikey returned a cheerful nod. Then Mikey charged recklessly towards him, full on Mikey style and Leo, stepped out of the way, effortlessly flipping Mikey onto his shell. Mikey gasped.

"Good one Leo." To his surprise he did feel better. The frustration had faded from his mind some.

"I know you gotta get back to your kata, but I thought maybe you'd watch an episode of Space Heroes with me first?" He gave Mikey an odd look as he helped him up. Mikey wasn't a fan. What was he up to? Still the puppy dog eyes were irresistible and he found himself agreeing, against his better judgement.

Well a little break couldn't hurt. A half hour later, he was back in the dojo and had executed the kata perfectly. Had Mikey planned that? No way. It couldn't be. Could it?

* * *

Donnie groaned in disgust and pushed the pile of circuits away from him. Maybe if he'd had a more intact laptop computer to start with, this wouldn't be such a disaster. Then Raph tromped in. Great, could this day get any worse? Still sprawled miserably across the lab table he raised his eyes inquiringly at his brother.

"TV's not getting signal again." He sighed.

"I'll fix it in a minute." He continued to wallow in self-pity for a few more minutes before realizing that Raph was still there.

"Is there anything else you need me to fix?"

"Watcha workin' on?" Huh? Since when did Raph care about his projects? His brother waited expectantly. Well what harm could telling him do?

"I'm trying to build a laptop, but it isn't working."

"So what's wrong?" Was he serious? As if he would understand? Fine. Feeling a little indignant, Donnie launched into a step-by-step explanation of his process that was intentionally full of way more complex technical jargon than he needed as Raph fought not to glaze over while he spoke.

Instead, although he clearly didn't comprehend what he was hearing, he kept asking 'why' or 'what for' while Donnie spoke. Amid his periodic questions, Donnie suddenly realized he'd answered his own question about where he'd gone wrong.

"Omigosh! I think I've got it! Thanks Raph." He returned to his work and was so engrossed that he failed to notice Raph's smile as he left.

"Anytime bro."


	28. Chapter 26: Vision Quest I

**Vison Quest I:**

"Raph! Where are you going?"

"I need some space Leo. Don't you ever get tired of the lair?"

"Sometimes, maybe. But Sensei says that we aren't supposed to leave. It isn't safe."

"Well you do that then. You're the obedient one." Leo paused uncertain as his eight-year-old brother jumped the turnstiles and ran out. He was tempted to tattle, but if he did that, Raph would be mad at him forever, more so than usual. But he couldn't just leave him. With a frustrated growl, he hurtled the turnstiles and tried to guess which way Raph had gone.

* * *

Lily Tilley, really what had her mother been thinking when she named her, tapped her foot rhythmically on the ground as she waited in her chair for her mom to come pick her up. Second grade, barely three weeks into the school year, wasn't going very well and she didn't know how to fix it.

Well, she did, but it was hard. She couldn't stop the visions, the only times she could ever see, but she could stop telling people about them. That's what made everyone uncomfortable. Much more than her blindness.

She'd been born this way. Doctors had poked, prodded and tested her to no end for as long as she could remember, but it was a mystery. No one knew why she couldn't see. There was simply no medical explanation and gradually they gave up, pursuing more promising work.

Without the pro bono offers of doctors hoping to have a new condition named after them, her mother couldn't afford any kind of treatment, so this was the way she was. It was fine. Lily didn't really know any different. Except in the visions.

Sometimes, through other people's eyes she could see, their minds supplying words and descriptors that she would not otherwise have access to, giving her understanding. Those brief glimpses of past, present and future were her only link to the sighted world, giving her a taste of what she was missing.

Normally she couldn't detect enough light to determine if it were night or day. Sometimes, she desperately wanted to see more, but mostly she feared the knowledge the visions brought.

She'd learned early on that talking about her visions drove people away. Especially the adults that tried to be kind to her. No one was outright cruel. Well some of the other kids weren't shy about calling her weird, but she was pretty sure, they'd all had lectures from their parents about not teasing the disabled child in their class. Still, the things she said made people uncomfortable and as a result, they avoided her.

So no friends, except for the occasional new kid, who went out of their way to be nice, before she opened her mouth and ruined it. But she couldn't help it. Some things needed to be said. She had no right to call herself a person's friend if she kept quiet. That lie would have been worse than being alone. At least he wouldn't be a traitor.

Lately, a nice girl named Madeline had taken her under her wing. She was so excited that she might have a friend to celebrate her ninth birthday with next week. But this morning, Lily had seen Maddy's future weekend when she went to visit her dad, now that the custody battle was over.

She wished she could unsee it. She didn't want to know, hated that she'd had to experience it through Maddy. It made her sick and scared and want to hide within herself. But it hadn't happened. Not yet. She could stay quiet and keep her friend, but if she had a chance to stop it, she should. That's what a real friend would do.

So she'd told Maddy not to go, or at least not to be alone with her father. Maddy didn't believe her and her stony silence when Lily revealed the vision in detail didn't offer much confidence. She didn't know if her warning had done anything or if she'd sacrificed her friendship for nothing. Even if Maddy never spoke to her again, she sincerely hoped her friend would be safe.

And so she sat, listening for sounds of her mother. What she heard was the voice of Maddy's mother.

"Oh, look Maddy, it's Lily. Do you want to say goodbye?"

"No." Maddy's voice was icy and their sounds trailed off while her mother tried to get her to explain. Lily's stomach clenched and she felt miserable. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't just sit her anymore. Her mother's work schedule was unpredictable and she could be stuck here for a long time. She just couldn't wait here any longer.

Choking back a sob, she slid off the seat moved along the familiar route out the school doors. They were so used to her sitting there every day after school, waiting, that no one really paid her much mind anymore. No one noticed when she slipped out.

She thought she knew the way home. She walked home holding her mother's hand every day. It should be the same with or without her mother. She could call her mother's work when she got back to the apartment, so she wouldn't worry and would know to come straight home. It would be ok.

Except she was already turned around. There was no frame of reference familiar to her once she'd gotten away from the school. She could be on the right path or not. The most she could do was make sure she was ensconced in a herd of people at street crossings, but she'd become disoriented. Oh no. Where was she?

Tripping, she realized that she was off the sidewalk. Now she was standing on dirt. Where was she? Where was the pavement?

Unable to stop the tears as she sobbed in fear and frustration, she waved her arms out in front of her, less to feel her way than to avoid walking into something painful. She was so focused on detecting something in front of her that she wasn't paying much attention to the ground beneath her feet, or the lack of ground.

As she stepped on air, instead of dirt, she was already too committed to the motion to pull back. With a shriek, she toppled forward, landing hard on either brick or stone after what had seemed like a lengthy fall.

She tried to push herself to her feet, feeling grubby and covered in grime. But when she put weight on her left ankle, she collapsed in a cry of pain. What was she going to do now? Who would know to look for her here, wherever here was? Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and cried.

* * *

Leo groaned. At some point in his series of choices, he'd made the wrong call. Now he'd never find Raph and would be lucky if he could even back track himself home from the drainage ditch that he'd wound up in.

Hearing, a soft sobbing sound, he instinctively hid, pressing himself against the wall, behind one of the tunnel connectors. He had to hide, get out of here. If anyone saw him, they would steal him and hurt him, or so his father said. Contact with others was forbidden.

Still, whoever he heard, sounded like they were crying. Captain Ryan would never run away and abandon someone crying, would he? Leo decided that he wouldn't. Carefully, he crept forward, using all his training to be approach stealthily.

It was a little girl. She was human, just like the people in the picture that Sensei kept in the dojo. Light streamed in over her from the broken grate above her head. It shined off of her short, white-blonde hair, held out of her face by a pink headband. Her skin and clothes were smeared with drainage debris. She must have fallen through. Why else would she be down here?

But what could he do about it? He wasn't supposed to let other people see him. It didn't look like she could hurt him, but Sensei's rule was absolute. Surely her own people would find her here and rescue her, eventually. That thought didn't sit well with him. If he were lost, alone and scared, eventually wouldn't be good enough for him. But what could he do? What would Captain Ryan do?

Clang, clang, clang. Not kick an empty pop can. He slapped his hand to his face as her head jerked up and looked around.

"Hello. Is someone there?" He braced himself for the attack.

"Please. If you're there. I need help. It's my ankle. I can't stand up." Well that would give him a decided advantage. He risked a glance and was surprised to find her eyes were the strangest shade of green-blue, kind of like the algae they ate, and not looking at him at all. She was staring at the wall and not trying to look around at all.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please." She was listening for him. How odd. There was definitely enough light to see by here. He took a chance and decided to answer.

"Yes, I'm here." She sighed in relief and turned her head in the direction of his voice, looking past him, rather than at him.

"I fell down and hurt my ankle. Can you help me?" He scurried over and she tracked the sound of his movement.

"Ok. Let me see. It looks swollen." She laughed dryly.

"Yes, I can feel that."

"Maybe it's just a sprain."

"What should I do?" Hmm. What would Donnie say? Ever since they'd started training, he'd been trying to learn more about medicine, in case anyone got hurt. Mikey had hurt his ankle a few months back.

"Umm, I think we should wrap it up and elevate it."

"Wrap it with what?" He looked around and only saw lots of filthy garbage. Then he glanced at his own hands began unwinding the cloth around his left wrist and palm.

"I have a bandage we can use." He carefully wrapped it around her ankle, doing his best not to touch her. If she thought the texture of his skin, was strange, she didn't say so.

Now for the elevation. He eyes landed on a nasty old milk crate. That would have to do. As he positioned it under her foot, he found himself wishing that he had some ice from the freezer at home to put on it.

"Thank you. I'm Lily by the way."

"I'm…" He wondered if he should give her his real name. They were supposed to be living in secret after all. Maybe he should use a secret identity, like a superhero.

"…Ryan."

"Well, thanks Ryan. Do you think you could find someone to help me out of here?" That he couldn't do.

"I'm sorry. No one is supposed to know I'm here. It's a secret."

"Oh."

"But I can stay with out until someone comes looking." She sighed in relief.

"Thank you. I hope you're not stuck here too long."

"I don't mind. I don't usually talk to people much." Or at all.

"Uh, Lily. Can you see?" She shook her head.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I was just born this way. Does that bother you?" No, it was awesome! Well not for her maybe.

"No, I was just wondering, since you weren't looking at me."

"Sorry, I can kind of tell where you are by your voice, but meeting someone's eyes…well, I never know exactly what my eyes are focused on."

"I'm ok with it. I was just wondering." If she couldn't see, then he technically wasn't breaking the 'don't be seen' rule. He was just a normal kid named Ryan to her. That was kind of nice. He hoped Raph was ok. He couldn't just leave Lily here though.

"So how did you end up here Lily?" She laughed again, with a bit more humor this time.

"By being stupid."

* * *

Lily was glad Ryan had found her. She wasn't alone anymore and felt kind of safe. He didn't seem to mind listening as she rambled on about her school, her teachers and her classmates, slowly leading up to her foolish decision to walk home alone.

Detailed as her story was, she carefully omitted some of it. The idea that, once he knew about her visions, he'd want to leave too made her stomach twist with worry. She didn't want to be here alone again.

"And boom, I ended up down here."

"Wow, I can't imagine going around anywhere unfamiliar without being able to see. I spent a day wandering around home blindfolded and it kind of sucked."

"Why?"

"To see if I could. You're really brave."

"Or stupid."

"Nope. According to Space Heroes, you're brave."

"Space Heroes? It's my favorite television show. I guess you don't watch television though."

"Well, I could listen, but we can't really afford a television. My mom says that it's not a priority."

"That's too bad. It's amazing!" She couldn't help but smile as he told her all about it, when her consciousness suddenly went hazy. Oh no. Not again. Not now.

 _She was running through a tunnel. It was a sewer tunnel, her host mind supplied. Inexplicably, she knew that she was in Ryan's mind. It felt like his presence. As their minds linked up, she could feel his worry. For a missing brother. Which way had he gone? Was he safe?_

 _As she focused in on the brother, she felt her mind leave Ryan and follow that thread of consciousness. With a gasp, she found herself in a new place. In a new person. Someone frustrated, angry and trying to calm down. There were waterfalls nearby, in a round brick dome, with some light pouring in from an overhead grate to the pull below._

 _Just some time, here alone. That was all it would take and it would be possible to go back and breathe again. Home wouldn't seem so stifling. Something was crawling slowly on a nearby ledge. A turtle? No a tortoise. Her host mind supplied the words matching the images she saw._

 _Suddenly a gush of water hit the small creature, sending him plummeting into the pool. Oh no! He would drown. Without thinking, they dived in after it. The sensation of swimming was thrilling._

 _A tiny shelled creature dropped like a stone in the water in front of them. It was falling fast, but they were faster. The chase was exhilarating. As they reached out to grab the creature, they failed to pay attention to where they were going. With a jarring thud, they rammed shoulder first into an underwater cement column. They could hear something crack and splinter, but the wall never hit their actual shoulder. It was a relief._

 _Bursting through the surface of the water, they set the tortoise on the ledge. He poked his tiny head out of his shell. How cute. They knew the perfect name for him. Spike. They couldn't wait to take him home and show him off. But not just yet. There was no harm in staying here and playing with him a bit first._ Suddenly, Lily was back in her own body, breathing heavily.

"Lily are you ok?" Ryan had noticed. Ryan! He was worried about his brother. But his brother was fine. Happy in fact. He should know. She should set his mind at ease. Before she could reconsider, the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Your brother's fine. He just needed some time alone. Well, I guess not completely fine. He hit his left shoulder pretty hard on something, but it was protected somehow. He saved a little tortoise that he's going to bring home later. He named him Spike. You don't have to worry about your brother."

There was that awkward silence filling the space between them as she realized what she'd done. She'd ruined everything and now Ryan was going to leave her here. He hadn't gotten up from where he sat next to her though. Not yet anyway.

"How do you know that?" Well, so much for this friendship. She might as well tell him.

"Sometimes I have these…visions. It's the only time, I can ever really see. Sometimes they're of things that have already happened, or are happening right now or what might happen in the future, although those can change if I try to interfere. Not usually, but it has happened.

"It's kind of like sharing a mind with someone. I know things that they know, which is why I can understand what I'm seeing and I experience what they experience, just like it's happening to me. I started out in your head, in the past I think, looking for your brother in some sewer tunnels. Then I jumped to him, in the present I think, catching his turtle in a place with a pool of water and waterfalls."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I didn't. I mean, not on purpose. It just happens sometimes and I can't control it. I'm sorry." She buried her face in her hands and started to cry again, when she felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder.

"Shh. It's ok."

"But…you don't think there's something wrong with me?" He laughed.

"No way. It's awesome! You're like a superhero. I wish I had a special gift like that too." Special gift? No one had described it like that before. Her mother and most adults told her she was making it up and her classmates called her weird. Gifted? A superhero?

"So you don't mind it?"

"Not at all." Now, she was crying in relief. This was the first time she'd really smiled in…she didn't know how long.

"Thanks Ryan. That means a lot to me."

"No problem. And thanks for letting me know about my brother. That's a relief." She felt herself nodding cheerfully. This was the most perfect day ever. Despite everything. Maybe it was going to be ok after all. She could hear voices, from above. People calling her name. Ryan started to move next to her.

"Looks like you've been found. It was nice meeting you Lily."

"It was nice meeting you too Ryan. Thanks again." She could hear him running off and waited until the sound of his footsteps faded completely before she started calling for help.

* * *

Splinter tapped his tail impatiently. They knew they weren't supposed to go out. It was one of the most important rules. He could understand this behavior from Raphael. The boy chafed terribly under rules and restraints. But Leonardo? He must have gone after his brother. There was no other explanation. Until Leonardo wandered back in alone, in a sort of daze.

"Leonardo, where have you been?" The turtle fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable with lying, but going to try anyway.

"I just needed a walk Sensei. I'm sorry." Hmmm.

"You don't need to cover for me Leo, I can take responsibility for my own actions." Ahh here was Raphael…with a small turtle or was it a tortoise?

"He probably went after me, Sensei. Sorry."

"And what have you brought back with you my son?"

"I found him and caught him. His name is Spike, can I keep him?" Well, Donatello had managed a more effective and efficient algae growing system in his lab. He didn't really, need to use Shen's pet tank for that anymore. But, the disobedience could not go unanswered.

"Very well. I will prepare a home for him, but you will be responsible for all his care."

"Hai Sensei!" Raphael was ecstatic.

"And for breaking the rules, I expect to see you two in the dojo for special training before dinner.

"Hai Sensei!" Less enthusiastic. Leonardo hadn't responded. He was too busy gawking in disbelief at Raphael's new pet tortoise and the jagged new crack in Raphael's carapace and plastron over his left shoulder.


	29. Chapter 27: Filial Piety III

**Filial Piety III:**

Chung I drifted carefully around Splinter's consciousness, too subtle to attract notice. He had been surprised to have found him here. This plane between dreams and death was not so easy to access. Splinter must have great mastery of the art of meditation.

Ultimately, it was the ghost that had done it, the same one he'd seen in the pet store all those years ago. He'd glimpsed her while meditating a time or two and eventually followed her to him.

He didn't know the man's real name. The only mental acknowledgement he seemed willing to allow right now was the moniker, Splinter. He looked just like the man he'd met that day, with a translucent overlay of giant rat person. Those were his images of himself. His identity. Splinter must have changed into a rat man that day. Was that what he'd witnessed? Is that what had also happened to Mei?

Chung I had to know, so he stalked Splinter in the spiritual realm, snatching at bits of thoughts and dreams to learn whatever he could. It was not easy to do. Splinter was so aware and focused. Only Chung I's absolute mastery and natural talents for the arts made such subterfuge possible. But for Mei's sake, he had to know.

He'd seen the memory of Splinter's change and that of the other turtles. He thought he might understand it now. That substance combined things. Just as the rat bite and Splinter combined into a rat man, Chung I's contact with Mei must have made her part human when he'd dropped her in the substance. That was why she was a part of him, his true daughter.

Yet, to his shame, he could never tell her about the others like her. He had to stay here, in this monastery, an eternal guardian until death relieved him of his duties. If he told her, she might leave to find them. He could not bear to lose her, so he selfishly allowed her to believe that she was alone in what she was. Not that she seemed unhappy. But she was fully aware that she was different.

Troubled by these thoughts, he returned to the waking world, to pour the things he could not say into his ever growing stack of journals. Surely, he would tell her someday. Just not yet. He could not bear to lose her yet.


	30. Chapter 28: Redemption IV

**Redemption IV:**

Arnold stopped by the school office to pick up his son. He couldn't say that he'd been entirely surprised to learn Casey had been in a fight, but he was curious about the circumstances. The boy sat sullenly holding an icepack to a swelling black eye, but looked up at him when he heard his approach.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" He shrugged.

"Thought I had some friends. Guess I was wrong." Arnold knew full well the other boys in the fight were already facing harsh penalties for having alcohol on school grounds.

"What happened?" Casey shrugged.

"They wanted me to do something I wouldn't do. When I said no…well they had it coming!" So someone had offered him a drink and he'd turned it down and not even wounded pride from taunts could change his mind. Arnold had never been so proud. Casey glared up at him, waiting for his punishment, but Arnold just smiled.

"I'm sure they did boy. Sometimes you have to stand up for what's right and sometimes that means fighting. Hope they got the worst of it." Casey's jaw fell open before transforming into a smile as he nodded eagerly.

"Good, let's get some burgers to celebrate."


	31. Chapter 29:Obsession II

**Obsession II:**

A.J. smiled to himself as he examined the report. So all this time, Leanna had been living in poverty in New York under the false surname, Tilley. Odd. Her life would have been luxurious and without want if she'd only stayed.

It didn't matter anymore. Her life had been ended by the careless driver who couldn't be bothered with giving pedestrians the right of way at crosswalks. His lawyers were already making the man regret taking Leanna from him.

But all was not lost. She had a daughter. Lily was young and blind, but she had her mother and her grandmother's look about her. She was just a child now, but he could see the promise of what she would be come. He could wait and this time she wouldn't get away. For the time being he'd let his sister Elaine take care of her. He had preparations to make.


	32. Chapter 30: To Overcome I

**To Overcome I:**

Lisa's bright pink sundress flounced around her with each step of her strappy, pink heeled sandals. Her long, thick brown hair, held in check by a pink headband, encrusted by pink rhinestones swung freely over her shoulders. Her gold hoop earrings and gold bracelets jangled about her as she stomped off to her parent's study.

She'd been all suited up to go shooting with her father, when the maid told her that it would have to be cancelled. She may have overreacted a bit. She liked being feminine and pink, but this might be overkill. Still, if she couldn't go shooting, she was going to girl-it-up as much as possible while she demanded an explanation.

When she burst into the room, she stopped short at the sight of a strange young girl, seated on one of the sofas between her parents. Her mother smiled.

"Lisa. Won't you come in?" Proud, Lisa didn't let her surprise faze her. As far as she was concerned, nothing intimidated her, so she stepped forward as though nothing was wrong. Her mother waited to see if she would sit, but decided to continue when it became obvious she wouldn't.

"This is your cousin, Lily. She's going to stay with us for a while?" Lisa's jaw fell open. Cousin? Her uncle Arthur didn't have any children.

"I'm sure you remember your Aunt Leanna from pictures. Well, apparently, she had a daughter Lily. Leanna's funeral will be on Saturday. I expect you to look after Lily and see that she's ready for it."

Lisa nodded curtly, too angry to speak. She had a cousin that she'd never heard about from an aunt she'd never met, whom she now had to babysit. This was why she couldn't go shooting? It wasn't fair!

"Good. Lily's room is in your wing, kiddy corner to yours. We are repurposing your nursery for it. Could you take her there dear? I'm sure she needs time to…adjust." Lisa angrily grabbed Lily's wrist and hauled the startled girl out of the room. They hadn't made it very far when Lily tripped and landed face first into the carpeted landing.

Annoyed, Lisa waited for her clumsy cousin to get up. More surprising than the look of grim determination on Lily's face was the realization that Lily was blind. Lisa suddenly felt a sliver of shame cut through her righteous anger. The girl was in a strange place, couldn't see and had just been dragged down a hallway be an inconsiderate cousin.

Another thought occurred to her. Lily had just lost her only parent and her home and all Lisa had cared about was the interruption to her schedule. Suddenly her impulsive behavior seemed immature and childish, but she wasn't used to apologizing and didn't really know how.

"I know that you aren't happy I'm here and I'm sorry about that. You don't have to look after me, like I'm an unwanted pet. I can take care of myself." Bold. Lisa felt a grudging respect for her ferocious cousin. Maybe this wouldn't be such a pain after all.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going that way anyway." She took Lily's hand again, more gently this time, and led her off.

* * *

It had been almost a month since Lily had come to live with them and Lisa was shocked, maybe not as shocked as her parents who had long ago accepted her abrupt personality and antisocial tendencies, to discover a true friend in her lost cousin.

Lisa did not relate well with others. She was very smart, already taking high school science courses, and athletic, disinterestedly excelling at a variety of extracurricular sport, and held other people to her exacting standards. Anyone who didn't measure up didn't matter.

Unsurprisingly, her attitude had not earned her a lot of friends, but she didn't care. She didn't need people who held her back.

She'd thought Lily would hold her back too at first, but was amazed to discover just how much Lily was capable of despite not being able to see. Her cousin was incredibly self-reliant and she was now ashamed that she assumed Lily would be helpless without sight. Lily was resourceful and clever and had somehow earned Lisa's vaunted respect.

Today they lay on Lily's bed as she listened to Lily tell her how to survive on a shoe-string budget in New York City. She was not one to shrink from a challenge, but even that seemed daunting to her. Granted, she'd never even had to think about managing money before. Maybe she should try it. It seemed like a good thing to know. This was nice. She'd never really had a friend before. She hadn't known how much she would like it.

"Lisa, what do you want to do more than anything else in the world?" She thought about that for a moment. There were a lot of things she wanted to do with her life. So many, in fact, that it was difficult to rank one as the most significant. Well, there was one easy answer.

"I want to win a Nobel Prize for a discovery in Physics, I'm thinking Quantum Physics. And I will someday. First I just need to figure out exactly what I want to focus my research on." Lily laughed.

"Wow! That's a pretty big dream for an eleven-year-old!"

"What's the point in dreaming if you aren't going to dream big? Why? What's yours?" Lily was silent for a moment.

"To see a great work of art. I've heard about some and the way people talk about them, it must be to the eyes what Beethoven is to the ears." She sighed.

"I suppose that is a big dream in that it's pretty impossible." Lisa thought for a moment. It was a problem and she liked solving problems. Well, maybe she couldn't see with her eyes, but there were other ways to experience art. She took Lily's hand.

"Come with me." It didn't take too long to lead her cousin to her parent's gallery. They were all incredibly detailed and exact replicas of famous works that her parents admired and she knew just which one to go to. Taking Lily's hand, she ran her cousin's fingers over the rough texture of the paint. Lily gasped.

"Should we really…."

"Don't worry about it. It will be fine. Just feel and listen." As she guided Lily's hand, she described, every minute detail of the flowers, lily pads and the water, exploring the painting for what seemed like hours.

"I know it's not exactly what you were hoping for but…" Lily shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"No. That was amazing. What was it?"

"It's Water Lilies by Monet, or at least an almost perfect replica of it."

"It's beautiful." Lisa laughed.

"It suits you Water Lily."

"What?"

"That's your new nickname. I've decided. No going back now." Lily smiled.

"Fine. But you need one too." She paused for a moment, clearly filing through her mental catalog of art names. Lisa wondered how she'd pick one for her without knowing what any looked like.

"Got it. You can be Mona Lisa."

"What? Easy pick. That's got my name in it."

"So does mine. Besides, I've heard she's got an enigmatic smile. That sounds like you." Lisa tried it out in her head and decided she liked it.

"Fine. We're Mona Lisa and Water Lily from now on."


	33. Chapter 31: Vision Quest II

**Vision Quest II:**

Lily curled up into a ball on her bed. Why had she thought this was going to work? Why did she let herself think she belonged? She knew why. Lisa. She thought that she'd hate her cousin at first, but Lisa had swiftly become her best friend. When the visions had inevitably become impossible to hide and she'd locked herself in her room, Lisa had picked her lock, come in and shook her angrily.

"Did you really think it would matter? Did you think I would care? Am I so shallow?"

"No, I just…"

"You could have told me. You could have trusted me." Then as she'd cried in Lisa's arms, "you'll always be my friend. My sister. There's no power in this world that can change that. Visions or not. Got it?"

No one since her mysterious friend Ryan had accepted her so unconditionally. His faith had gotten her through her childhood and she'd believed that Lisa's would get her through the rest of her life.

But some of her visions were of violent terrible things that left her collapsed and screaming. They never deterred Lisa, but her Aunt and Uncle were terrified. And now she'd had a vision of Aunt Elaine contacting her Uncle Arthur, an unknown figure in her life, about getting her professional help. An institution maybe. A facility that had the means and knowledge to care for someone with her special needs. It was going to happen this week. She knew it and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She heard the door open and knew it was Lisa who sat on the bed next to her.

"Lily?"

"They're going to send me away because I'm crazy."

"Maybe. I love my parents but they aren't good at dealing with adversity." Lily choked back tears. This had been the happiest year of her life and she didn't know if she could go back to being lonely.

"But that's also why they won't be able to stop me from visiting. I'll make sure you're somewhere close and I'll be there all the time. I promise."

"Lisa?"

"You can count on it. No one is going to keep us apart."

"But…"

"Have I ever failed to get my way when I really want something?"

"No."

"Then count on it Water Lily. We won't be separated." She embraced her cousin.

"Thanks Mona Lisa."


	34. Chapter 32: Obsession III

**Obsession III:**

Howard mulled over the interesting turn of events. So Lily was crazy as well as blind. At least Elaine thought so. Not the most reliable source of information.

Still, this could work out to his benefit. No worries about some schoolmate becoming besotted with her and interfering. No risk of her wanting to run off to college. No, she could be completely isolated and controlled if he played this right.

And when he was ready, she'd be so grateful to him for freeing her. No one would ask where she disappeared to. Her mother had run off without a trace, so a pattern had already been established. No this was perfect.

Elaine's only weak demand was that it be somewhere nearby, obviously his niece's influence. He didn't mind. There was a perfect institution near here with the Howard name on several of their buildings. Some ancestors had endowed it to sweep aside inconvenient relatives. A new endowment would assure his influence. Yes. This was perfect.


	35. Chapter 33: What Lies in Shadow IV

**What Lies in Shadow IV:**

Kitsune looked carefully over the results of her geomancing. All her instincts told her where she needed to go. But it was protected. Impenetrable. Not to an insider though. Of course. She knew just what to do.


	36. Chapter 34: Huntress II

**Huntress II:**

Alopex left Kitsune's chambers. This was not going to be a quick infiltration assignment like most of her others. She would be gone a long time. She could do it of course. Her natural predatory instincts were unparalleled and augmented by her training in ninjutsu. She was an artist with her kamas. And as a fully trained kunoichi, she learned the art of deception from the best.

Still, she didn't like being away so long. This place was her home and Karai, the Shredder and Headhunter her pack, along with Kitsune. But when the pack needed something, she got it for them, like a good member. Just as she'd once hunted in solitary freedom for her birth pack. It was no different.

All the same, she would go tell Karai before she left. Her only true friend would feel the absence most. She deserved to hear it from her.

* * *

Umeko Mokoshan stood on the beach in training armor, holding her shinai at the ready. It was breaking dawn and she felt completely centered. The beach was the perfect place to test her footwork with its uneven and unstable surface, but she would get to Okuri-ashi and Fumikomi-ashi later.

Right now she would wake up her muscles, practice the motions of her strikes. Each one, she punctuated with her kiai. So engrossed was she in her training, she barely noticed the soggy lump of white fur wash ashore nearby. It was the groan that alerted her.

Tucking her shinai into her obi, she hurried over to examine the stranger and gasped. She was like them, sort of. Definitely a fox woman, in ragged clothing to be sure, but her fur was pure white with a splash of bluish purple over her eyes and along her snout, like a mask. She also didn't have any hair. She obviously had fur, but no hair.

Umeko had both. Her fur was reddish brown, but she also had long black hair, tied into a tight pony tail to keep it out of her face while she trained. The stranger opened her eyes and Umeko was stunned to see that they were the same golden color as her own.

"Who are you?" The stranger's voice was rusty from disuse and a strange dialect of Japanese, as was the case with most of the rare strangers who washed up on the island.

"Mokoshan Umeko."

"I'm Alopex. It's not safe. The humans, they will…" Umeko gently shushed Alopex panic.

"It's ok. There are no humans here at present. You are safe sister."


	37. Chapter 35: Vision Quest III

**Part II: Present**

 **Vision Quest III:**

 _She looked up at us with such frightened eyes, but there was hope there within her gaze. A trust that somehow we would save her. And we would. We were so close. She smiled with relief._

 _"_ _Thanks." Then her eyes widened as she saw something behind us. A distant voice that we knew cried out._

 _"_ _Leonardo!" We looked up in time to see a terrifying man in metal armor and claws flying at us. We pulled back instinctively and avoided being slashed. But his claws cut right through the chain and the force of his strike sent us flying backwards._

 _Suddenly the cage was dropping away and we felt a hollowness in the pit of our stomach as we helplessly watched, over our shoulder, her fall into the glowing green vat below. We were too far away and falling as we heard the cage splash into the liquid. We couldn't save her. She was gone. Our mind cried out. Kara_ i!

Lily sat up in bed gasping for air and fighting back tears. It was too much pain. The loss. She couldn't breathe. It's over and it's not real. She chanted to herself over and over in her head to banish the vision from her memory.

"Are you ok?" She could hear the concern in her roommate's voice.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine." Her voice sounded frail and weak even to her own ears. No one would believe that.

"You know you were screaming right?"

"Yes. I know thank you, but I'm fine now." Her voice sounded a little stronger. Good. What a terrible start to her birthday. The door burst open.

"Which one?" Nurse Tally knew, but she had to ask. She'd been here long enough to recognize Lily's screams, even as infrequent as such bad episodes were. Most didn't make her scream. It's not real.

"It was me." The nurse came near and fussed over her a bit.

"Been a while since you've had a nightmare."

"Yeah. I'm fine though." Nurse Tally made a snorting noise that indicated how little she agreed, but she held her piece.

Time to start another day. She knew the routine. It hadn't really changed much in the four years that she'd been here. Meals were always in the same place and time, her group and individual counseling appointments never varied in time or location, nor did the limited recreational time in the common area. The day was as uneventful and the same as every day before it in this unchanging place. No one was unkind and she wanted for nothing, but it was a kind of prison with little spontaneity that wasn't provided by the other residents.

Still she hadn't even thought about her friend Ryan in such a long time, it was surprising that she'd had a vision about him. Well, she must have been thinking about him subconsciously then.

It had been repeatedly pointed out to her that she only had 'visions' of people she knew, and often in recent social contact with. They weren't real, no matter how coincidental the events to real things which she shouldn't know.

Another important point to recall was how varied her interpretation of the sighted world was, as though she were grasping and guessing. She'd once thought it meant that different sighted people merely saw the world in their own unique way, but the visions, weren't real, just hallucinations, so that wasn't likely true.

She'd been distracted in school today, school being a generous term. She longed to go with the other children, outside and across the yard to the facility's official school, but it wasn't equipped for someone with her needs, or so her Uncle Arthur had decreed.

Instead, she was privately tutored, with a host of supplemental materials that didn't depend on a pupil's sight to teach. It was probably just as well. It didn't seem like the other children learned much, but they were mostly just passing through so perhaps they could afford it. Even if it was a long term facility, no one else had been here as long as she had, at least, not in the youth ward. And so her uncle had arranged private tutoring.

With the exception that she had a roommate, for her social well-being anyway, her uncle always got his way with the facility. He funded them enough, so it shouldn't be surprising. Just a little disappointing sometimes.

Her fingers trailed over the braille text, explored mathematical manipulatives and conducted small science experiments, but her mind really wasn't on task. She was already preparing for her meeting with Dr. Natham.

She was going to have to discuss her nightmare with him, but she really didn't want to. She'd never talked about Ryan to anyone. It had been her special secret and she wouldn't even know how to explain dreaming about something that likely never even happened to him or never would happen. It had felt like the future. Not that any of it was real.

She accepted that her visions were intense hallucinations and that they weren't real, but that was of no help in preventing them. At best, she went catatonic for a few moments when a vision struck. These were the most frequent. Less frequent, but much worse, were the visions that brought her to her knees screaming.

They'd tried everything. Medications that made her sick and fuzzy, but her visions still came and seemed to burn the drugs right over of her system. No amount of psycho-therapy or alternative techniques could stem them. Her visions simply were.

She'd long ago accepted that she would never be rid of them, and thus possibly stuck here for the rest of her life, but the doctors kept trying. They had no explanation for her condition, but with so little understanding of the brain, that wasn't especially surprising.

Still Dr. Natham had an excellent sense for detecting lies and lying always made things worse. Besides, in the vain hope of someday being free, she tried to remain on her best behavior. Maybe a half truth?

It wouldn't be much different than choosing to remain silent in group when her visions revealed things, not real, about the other members. Speaking only upset the others then, as it would upset things now. Maybe she could be honest, but not completely so. Just tell what she saw and felt while omitting the context. Yes. Maybe that would work.


	38. Chapter 36: To Overcome II

**To Overcome II:**

Lisa bounded down the halls towards the visiting room, looking forward to seeing Lily this week. Technically minors weren't supposed to visit residents unaccompanied, but Lisa had been coming so long and so frequently, that eventually her wealthy and desperate parents, involved as they were in Lily's treatment, had arranged special permissions for her.

Lily was still the only person who understood her, so they probably both depended on Lisa's weekly visits more than anyone thought. It wouldn't always be like this. They'd planned it all out together. Lily would be a model patient and apply for release when she turned eighteen and Uncle Arthur couldn't make her decisions for her anymore.

By then Lisa would already have a place for them to live, staffed with aides for Lily. Hopefully that would satisfy any legal and moral concerns the hospital might have. Lisa had already picked out a few of the nurses here to offer the position to. That way, if Lily needed to go somewhere when Lisa wasn't available, then someone would be there if she had a vision that broke her down in public or stopped her at a traffic walk. But otherwise it would just be them.

She knew where they'd live too. New York City. With their family's wealth they could afford to live in an apartment of their choosing. Central Park should be enough to satisfy Lily's affinity for nature. And all the amenities that anyone could possibly want would be within walking distance for Lily. Not to mention plenty of college choices for Lisa. It was perfect.

Still, she approached this visit with a glimmer of trepidation. They still had two years to go on 'the plan' and things were about to change soon. Lily was brooding when she entered the room, but brightened when she heard the door open.

"Mona Lisa!"

"Happy sweet sixteen Water Lily."

"Thanks." They embraced before Lisa took her seat next to Lily on the couch. Lily frowned at her.

"Something's wrong."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're never this tense when you visit."

"Well, you looked pretty moody when I walked in. What's up with that?" Lily sighed.

"Just woken up by a nightmare, so now I have to talk about it with everyone." Lisa smiled.

"Then I won't ask."

"Thanks. So about you?"

"Fine. I didn't want to start the visit with a downer. I've been accepted for an internship in Physics research at the R&D firm that Uncle Arthur owns."

"And that's bad news?"

"In the San Francisco branch office."

"For how long?"

"A year." Lily was speechless for a moment as she absorbed the news. She'd known that Lisa had been blowing through college level Physics courses since she was thirteen so that, with the family connections, this was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"I know it seems like a long time now but it's a good thing. When I'm done with them and they see what I can do, I'll have a guaranteed position of my choice. They have a New York City branch office. With that job, I won't need to ask my parents for money for the apartment or living expenses. We'll be totally self-reliant." Neither mentioned that Lily would still be as reliant as ever.

"Well, I guess I can spend that time figuring out what I can do to contribute then."

"And I will email you all the time. They haven't confiscated Jarvis have they?" They both snickered at Lisa's name for Lily's laptop with the software that read it to her.

"No, my nepotistic privileges are still firmly entrenched."

"Good. I'll assume they have if you don't respond back in a reasonable amount of time and sic one of my parents on the staff." Lily was distressed. Lisa could tell, but she was working hard to hide it. No one but Lisa would have been able to see through Lily's stoicism.

"So I heard that my parents are taking you to the nature center at the end of the month. Don't you ever want to go anywhere else?" Lisa's parents took Lily on a bi-monthly day trip to get her out some and she usually picked the same place each time.

"Yeah, well, it's nice. I feel like I can breathe there. Plus there's a lot less people to stare at me."

"I suppose." Lily willfully shook off her despondency.

"So tell me all about school lately…"


	39. Chapter 37: The Cost of Power II

**The Cost of Power II:**

Furious, Shredder pounded a wooden training dummy, slicing and smashing pieces off. Yoshi had done it! Again! How many times would that ghost rise to destroy his life?

He'd accounted for Karai learning the truth and reacting to it as she did. He couldn't think of a more effective way to draw his cowardly rival from hiding and destroy him. So much as it galled him he'd told her the truth, knowing that he could repair the damage later. After Yoshi and his freakish disciples were dead. She was his daughter regardless of heredity. He had raised her. She would have understood when he'd had proper time to explain. When they were both free of the poisonous Hamato clan.

But Yoshi had ruined everything. Again! Somehow the rat had sniffed out his brilliant and carefully crafted plan and prepared his disciples to evade the snare cages. Instead of falling into his trap and self-destructing in a righteous, yet ironic turn of events, he'd fallen into their trap.

They'd lured him into cutting the chain that sent Karai into the vat of customized mutagen. Now his precious child was a mindless, monster serpent and his enemies escaped. How they must be laughing at his humiliation and pain. Instead of cleansing this stain upon his honor, he'd been further tainted. And it was all Yoshi's fault! All Yoshi's fault. All Yoshi's fault.


	40. Chapter 38: The Price of Wisdom V

**The Price of Wisdom V:**

Splinter staggered into his room, calmly closed the door and then fell to his knees, refusing to allow his gut wrenching sobs to make any sound. His sons were already worried enough. They did not need to see or hear him break down.

Somehow, he'd lost his little Miwa twice. He had her back. She was home. For a brief shining moment his family felt almost complete. It never would be without Shen, but with Miwa it had been close. He hadn't realized how much it mattered that she knew him and chose him until he'd had it. And then almost immediately lost it. And it was his fault. His lack of judgment.

He'd wanted so badly to possess her wounded trust by being completely honest with her, that he'd held nothing back. He'd told her too much too soon. And she'd gone for revenge as anyone raised their entire life by the Shredder would have. He'd set his child up for destruction.

Clenching his teeth, he willed the heaving sobs to stop. The pain was still bottled up within. What had he done? Inhaling a long slow breath, he repositioned himself to try and meditate. To clear the pain and distraction from his mind until he could see a way through this suffering.

But peace never came. He just kept watching her fall into the vat of mutagen and nearly killing him as a giant mutant snake. Over. And over. And over.


	41. Chapter 39: Lost II

**Lost II:**

She was lost, somewhere cold and noisy. Instinctively she fled from the noise, the light and the flooding assault of smells. It was too much, burning her mind with strangely familiar images. Places, people that she almost thought she knew, but as quickly as the memories came, they drifted away, impossible to grasp and keep a hold of. All she had was instinct. Instinct that led her somewhere dark and quiet, where she might find peace.


	42. Chapter 40: Defying Fate IV

**Defying Fate IV:**

April spun listlessly on the swivel stool in Donnie's lab while he worked. Nominally she was there to help him, but he only ever needed her help when he remembered to ask her to hand him things so she'd feel useful. Today he was too engrossed to make work for her.

She knew better than to get his attention. If he remembered that she was here, he'd become self-conscious and destroy whatever he was working on. While it was amusing that somehow his grace and self-awareness completely abandoned him, a fully trained ninja, whenever he wanted to appear competent around her, producing the exact opposite of the desired effect, right now he was working on a retro-mutagen for his sister and she didn't want to mess with that.

He had the formula for the cure he'd made for her father, but it required so much raw mutagen to create. Raw mutagen that they did not possess, nor have any reliable means of procuring even with the tracker Donnie had made to recover all the mutagen from their accidental spill months ago. He needed another way and she needed to let him work.

If she were being honest, her silence was in no small part guilt. She knew that the family of her Sensei, of her friends had been torn apart by recent events, but she could only muster a limited concern for the girl who had threatened her life. Someone she barely knew and had yet to like.

Instead her mind kept drifting back to her Kraang ancestry and their plans for her. She'd known for a while now, but it was a lot to process. It was hard to accept that she wasn't entirely human. That she could in fact be the key to humanity's, to the Earth's, destruction. Her mind kept rejecting it and the damage their attacks had caused to her already hurting family.

She knew she should show more concern and empathy for her dear friends who'd already done so much for her, she was a freaking psychic after all, but her own problems still loomed foremost in her thoughts. She couldn't help but wonder what that said about her as a person. And yet her mind drifted back to the Kraang. The treacherous poison within her genetic code.

* * *

Donnie reviewed his calculations again. He just couldn't see a way to make retro-mutagen without first refining an unreasonable amount of regular mutagen. It just wasn't going to work.

Part of his mind was aware of April spinning on the stool. Whenever she was near, part of him was always aware of her, but she was clearly lost in thought and that gave him the freedom to not worry about impressing her. That and the weight of all of his other worries.

He knew, unequivocally, that the more pressing concern was determining the Kraang's next move. How and when their invasion would begin. It was going to be big and going to be soon or so the accumulated data indicated. They were a serious threat to every living being on the planet. He should prioritize finishing the weapon he'd invented to fight them. It still had some major design obstacles to overcome.

And yet, he couldn't say it. Whenever he went out of his lab and saw that beaten look in his father's eyes or Leo's endless cycle of self-recrimination, he'd just grab some food and water go right back into the lab, running himself in useless circles knowing full well there was no solution. He'd even started sleeping here. And it was all a moot point without actually finding their missing sister.

Everyone looked at him like he could magically wave his science wand and somehow make everything right, but that's not how science worked. But he could never say it. So with the world on the brink of interdimensional destruction, he sat in his lab pretending he could fix this one small problem that was so big to them.


	43. Chapter 41: Vigilante Justice I

**Vigilante Justice I:**

The last Purple Dragon fell with a thwack of Casey's hockey stick and he arm pumped in celebration. Another robbery foiled. The rush of adrenaline and the thrill of victory burned bright in his veins, charging him up. It was better than winning hockey games. How had he lived before he discovered this?

Fighting crime as a super hero was totally his calling in life. It totally beat out his dreams of international bounty hunting. Not that he'd ever give up hockey. He still loved it and he knew how important it was to his dad.

Too bad he couldn't tell his dad and Maria, his little shadow. They'd freak, but he'd like to think that they'd be proud too, even if they demanded that he stop. Too bad he couldn't stop, so they could never know.

He glanced over at his partner-in-butt kicking. Raph surveyed their victory with approval but still the strain of aggression lingered in his eyes.

"Want to find some more?" That perked Raph up.

"You even need to ask?"

* * *

Raph led Casey through the darkened city, putting in some after-hours patrol. They'd already discovered and prevented one robbery, a mugging and some vandalism, but Raph still felt like he needed to hit something.

His body was already fighting the effects of fatigue, but he wanted to fight until he dropped. Not being able to talk to Spike anymore was taking its toll. Well, he guessed it was Slash now that his friend had mutated off the deep end. The only way to deal with the train wreck of his family now was to fight. And fight he would until he brought down every last criminal in this city.

He wished she'd never come back, that they'd never rescued her. If she were still rotting in the Shredder's dungeon everything would be fine. What right did she have to show up and trash their family? It was all her fault.

He immediately felt guilty. She was his father's daughter, stolen from him. A sister he'd never known he had. And he knew how Leo felt about her and what this was doing to his big brother. And the idea of intentionally leaving anyone to the Shredder's mercy didn't sit right with him.

But the stupid brat had gone right back after him, once she'd insinuated herself into the family enough to cause maximum damage by self-destructing. Why'd she have to run off without thinking like it wouldn't matter if she never came back?

Some part of him was aware that such accusations were hypocritical coming from him, but he stomped that thought with extreme prejudice. Anger flared fresh in his gut. He needed to find more bad guys to pound. Then everything would be ok.


	44. Chapter 42: Brotherhood II

**Brotherhood II:**

Mikey fidgeted on the couch, watching Leo not watch Space Heroes. It was kind of creepy. In fact everything seemed out of balance lately. Maybe it would be alright again when they got Karai back and Donnie fixed her. Because that was totally how it was going to happen.

Mikey had never had a sister before and it was kind of awesome. They'd get her back. It wasn't like they ever really lost. Not in the long run and not when it mattered. Everything would be alright again soon, just as it had been every time before when things got rough. It would work out because they were the good guys and good guys win. It was simple.

Still it unnerved him to see his Sensei so sad. He hadn't hugged his father this much since he was a little kid, but all his instincts screamed that it was necessary. And Leo kept acting like Karai's mutation was his fault. Geez. Everyone had seen the Shredder the drop her. Obviously, it was his fault, but Leo wouldn't hear it. Talk about stubborn.

And Donnie was no fun. He lived in his lab lately when they weren't out looking for Karai. And Raph was always out with Casey. No one was any fun anymore. But it was ok. When they got Karai back and fixed her everything would be ok.


	45. Chapter 43: Filial Piety IV

**Filial Piety IV:**

Chung I knelt alone in front of the mirror prison. It was time, past time really, to reinforce the wards, holding the prisoner within. But he found it difficult to concentrate. The guilt of the secrets he kept from his daughter was eating away at him. The burden grew heavier with each passing year. He knew he should trust her with the truth, but the thought that she might leave and never return killed the words before he could say them.

No! This was not acceptable. His inability to focus was beginning to threaten his sacred duty. He'd already put it off more than once. A delay that could be ill afforded against so cunning a foe. He must tell her. And he would. As soon as the gate was sealed for another two decades.

He closed his eyes and immersed himself in his breathing techniques, gathering both his own chi and the ambient chi around him and binding it to his will. It flowed through him and within him, responding to his every thought. Empty of outside influence, he willed the energy out of himself and towards the mirror, overlaying atop the generations of seals that had been placed before, but his doubt returned and his concentration faltered.

His control was imperfect and the Dragonlord within the mirror sensed the weakness. He waited until the exact instant that Chung I failed and struck at the weak point where the web of energy was flimsy and incomplete. It was a perfect attack. The energy unwove and scattered and the mirror shattered beneath the surface.

There was a moment when Chung I could have retaliated. Could have undone the damage and kept the monster within. But at that crucial moment, his mind failed him becoming sluggish and fuzzy. How? The tea! He'd been betrayed and his opportunity was now lost.

Chung I had only an instant to realize that the Dragonlord was free, before a psychic assault tore his mind asunder, destroyed so thoroughly that there wasn't even enough left to keep his body breathing. Satisfied with his vengeance, the Dragonlord drifted away into the world he'd so long been denied.

Drawn by Chung I's sudden, piercing and abruptly truncated scream, the disciples rushed into the sacred chamber to find their master dead and the mirror broken.


	46. Chapter 44: Obligation of Heaven I

**Obligation of Heaven I:**

Mei Pieh Chi knelt in prayer before the incense she'd lit in front of her father's gravestone. Her eyes were red and swollen and she felt numb. The past few days had passed in a stunning blur as her world collapsed around her.

She sensed, rather than saw, Da-Huan come up behind her. No. Not Da-Huan. He was Chung I now that he'd assumed her father's mantle. That would take some getting used to.

"It's free you know."

"Yes. I know." Her emotions were still too raw to properly address the disaster of that truth.

"I know how you're feeling. He was the only father I ever knew. But we have no time to grieve. We have a sacred duty and it cannot wait." Closing her eyes, she pushed her pain back behind a wall of willpower, to be taken out and addressed later.

"I know."

"I cannot leave. I am Chung I and I must repair the mirror. It can only be you."

"Yes. Only I can do it. I will find and capture it. That monster won't be free for long. I swear it."


	47. Chapter 45: Vision Quest IV

**Vision Quest IV:**

 _They were standing in a city at war. Her host mind gave her the vocabulary and understanding of the chaos around her. Flying space ships whirred around the city producing massive laser blasts that decimated whole blocks at a time. But somehow that wasn't important._

 _They were surrounded by dangerous figures, but they only had eyes for the one in front of them. The man of metal and blades. The Shredder. There was no attention to spare for anything else._

 _They were afraid, but the raised their swords and charged forward anyway. At the last second, they changed their trajectory, sliding to the side to come in at an angle. A feint. The Shredder anticipated it and reacted with a kick, ramming his spiky shin into our chest. They could feel the blades slice deep into their body armor and the impact throwing them back._

 _Somehow they managed to turn the fall into a backflip, landing on their feet, breathing heavily as blood dripped down their chest. Undeterred they raised their swords again. There was no choice._

 _This time they circled more cautiously. Their opponent grew impatient. Suddenly, somehow he was right in front of them. How had he closed the distance so quickly? We barely brought our swords up in time to protect our head from his bladed gauntlet._

 _As it was, the force of the strike sent one of our swords flying free, and pinned the other to our injured chest. With our free hand, we pulled a dagger, kogatana my host mind supplied, from the hilt of our remaining sword, no not sword, katana the other mind offered._

 _We tried to jam it into his throat just under the edge of his helmet, but he suddenly wasn't there anymore and our strike hit air. How could he be so fast? The arm that pinned us, slammed us down into the pavement and a heavy metal boot kicked us aside, cracking ribs._

 _Our body screamed in pain, but we forced ourselves to our feet once more. This wasn't working. We were going to lose. We needed to get away, surrounded or not. Pulling a medium sized blade hidden in our scabbard, a tanto, we threw it at him, knowing that he would dodge it as we threw down a smoke bomb and ran for our lives. We were going to make it._

 _Until a gauntleted hand caught our wrist, flipping us onto our back and relieving us of our single remaining katana. Our eyes focused just in time to see his fist in front of our chest. We were pinned. A blade extended out from compartments in his gauntlet, effectively turning his arm into as sword, assuming that you didn't count the curved blades already extended._

 _Then he jammed all three into our shoulder. Not a vital strike, but a painful one, followed by another and another, as he pierced our torso repeatedly, drawing out our suffering and our screams but holding off the kill._

 _"_ _I want you to envision your Sensei's eyes when I deliver him your severed head." We barely had time to reject that thought but we did, with our whole being, before he rammed his blades into our throat. We were still alive as he began to saw and everything faded to dark as we died._

Lily gasped in a desperate breath as her mind left the corpse to return to her own body. All she could do for the next few minutes was lay there, sucking in air as though she'd been drowning. Had she actually stopped breathing? That opened a whole new world of dangerous possibilities associated with her visions. No one had ever died in one before. Could it kill her? She was shaking badly. The door opened and she heard Nurse Tally's voice.

"Lily are you ok? You were screaming again." Again? She was surprised her roommate hadn't said anything. Oh wait. She'd been discharged a few days ago and no one else had been assigned to her room yet.

"Um, yeah. I had that same nightmare again." It was scary how easily the lie rolled off her tongue, but she could not share this with anyone, no matter how well intentioned. Even if she might actually need trauma counseling as a result. But it was about Ryan again and she wouldn't talk about him.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's over now. I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure? We can reschedule your outing with your aunt and uncle."

"No! I want to go. I promise I'll speak to Dr. Natham about it as soon as I come back." The nurse sighed. Lily knew that strictly according to protocol, she shouldn't let Lily go, but Lily was always a unique situation and a very well behaved patient. And had wealthy relatives who were very important to funding.

"Very well, I talk to scheduling about that. Have a good day Lily."

* * *

Lily sat in the administrative office with her aunt and uncle. Normally, she hated this part of going out, but her latest vision had offered ample distraction. She typically cringed as they affixed the wristbands to her, but she barely noticed.

They had her first name, instructions on what to do if she was found and the facility's contact information. She wasn't sure why they did it. It could be something they did with all their patients or just her either because she was blind or personally valuable because of her family. Whatever the reason, it felt like she was a pet getting tags.

Today she barely noticed as the memory of her vision played on repeat in her head. Because she always dressed to hide the tags, habit has caused her to choose a long sleeve knit sweater, despite the weather still being a bit warm. Summer hung on tenaciously even though that the date said it should be fall.

She'd been coaching herself about the dream all morning. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. None of the visions were real. The setting was straight out of science fiction and why would Ryan be fighting such a terrifying monster using swords? Who does that? No one. It wasn't possible. Her childhood friend was not going to die in that impossible scenario. It simply could not happen.

But as she walked the park with her aunt and uncle, she couldn't shake it. What if there was even the most remote chance that she was wrong and it might happen? What if the first person who'd ever just accepted her as she was died that way because she was too cowardly to warn him? Could she live with that? No. The answer was definitely no.

With a sigh, she let go of the future she hoped for. She had to do this now, before she lost her nerve. Her aunt and uncle were ahead of her chatting amiably. They were so used to the track they took, that they hardly paid attention as she trailed behind them.

Truly, she knew this place so well she didn't even really need to use the white plastic cane that she brought with her when she went out. You never knew when something large enough to trip over would litter the path. She stopped and waited until she couldn't hear them anymore, before rushing back to the visitor center. Catching her breath in the parking lot, she wondered exactly what she was going to do now. She didn't really have a lot of options.

"Are you ok Miss?" She instinctively turned toward the voice.

"Yes, I'm fin…actually, no. No I'm not. I'm pretty sure my ride left without me with my cellphone and wallet in her car. I have no idea how I'm going to get back to New York now." Wow she was really lying a lot today. She didn't think she'd sound so natural while doing it. Well she was learning a lot about herself then.

"The city? I'm actually headed back that way. Where do you need to go?" Without thinking, she rattled off her childhood address.

"That's not too far out of my way. I can take you."

"Really? That would be amazing." The next thing she knew, she was in a car, hurtling back towards a city she hadn't been to since she was a small child wondering if she was making a disastrous mistake.


	48. Chapter 46: Obsession IV

**Obsession IV:**

He slammed the phone down in a rage. How could they be so incompetent? How could anyone lose one crazy blind girl so completely? A. J.'s carefully laid plans were coming undone. The authorities had already done a sweep of the area and come up with nothing.

His first impulse was to call Dirk. Dirk would have been able to find her quickly and efficiently, but the trail would be cold by the time he finished the operation he was already on and it was not possible to contact him until his return. The best he could do was arrange some leave so that his friend might help him later.

There were other resources at his disposal. It would cost him, but it would be worth it to retrieve Lily. He'd employed them before and they did good work. Very well. Calmer, now that he had a plan, he picked up the phone, dialing a number he had memorized rather than risk writing down. They picked up immediately.

"It's Howard. I have another mission for your clan and price is no object."


	49. Chapter 47: To Overcome III

**To Overcome III:**

Lisa finalized her results, resenting that hers wasn't the only name on the document. She'd done all the work after all. Still, things were going better than expected. A last minute transfer had sent her to New York instead of San Francisco, so she could see the facility that she'd intended to work for much earlier than expected.

In addition, she could visit Lily on the weekends. The drive wasn't that long. She hadn't told her cousin yet, hoping to surprise her when her probationary period ended and she could finally get a weekend off.

She'd been a little disappointed to learn that she'd ended up in nuclear physics. It obviously had a lot of important practical applications at present and she understood why the firm was interested in it but there were so many more promising subfields of her science that were going to revolutionize the future and she wanted in on that. Still, her work turned out to be more interesting than she thought it would be. A shame she had to give her mentor credit.

She was pretty sure Dr. Phineas Filtch was an incompetent fool and honestly had no idea how such a man could have a doctorate in Physics. He was just so ignorant. Her disappointment had been somewhat salved by Dr. Diane Mason from the neighboring Biology lab. Dr. Filtch was supposed to be her mentor, but it had been Dr. Mason who'd taken Lisa under her wing and made her feel welcome and at home in the facility. All Dr. Filtch did was take credit for her work and completely ignored her otherwise. Which was fine. He did kind of creep her out.

Unconsciously, she patted the pocket with her mace in it. When her mom had found out about the transfer, she'd absolutely freaked. Granted, Lisa was sixteen, alone in New York, but the city wasn't that dangerous so long as you didn't do anything blatantly stupid.

And it wasn't like she was living completely alone. Arrangements had been made for her live in the company dormitory, under the supervision of some of the facility administrators. Still, her mom had bought her a massive supply of mace, which she'd subsequently been forced to practice with for a solid week before leaving as though a aiming a spray can was somehow difficult.

Lisa wasn't even sure that she was legally allowed to have the stuff her mother had bought her in the city, being that it was a particularly caustic formula. Still, it had sparked an idea in her, and she'd spent a lot of time customizing her own formula to fill in her empty practice canisters. It kept her busy and when her mentor was around she was unexpectedly glad of it.

Her father had panicked a bit too, arranging for her to take some self-defense courses. While she was reasonably certain that a few weeks of learning how to frighten off an assailant with her keys probably wouldn't do her that much good in a real attack, she'd found that she kind of liked the basic punches and kicks she'd learned.

Always athletic but never very serious about sports, she'd finally stumbled across a type of exercise she looked forward to. So, upon her arrival, she'd immediately found and joined a local dojo for mixed martial arts. She wasn't sure how actually effective it was, being that they were heavily commercialized towards UFC fans. But it did keep her fit and she was having fun.

Speaking of which, she could probably put in a few hours before curfew if she got moving now. After sending off her document, she shot Lily another email, with a slightly more worried tone. She hadn't heard from her cousin in a few days. If Lily hadn't responded by tomorrow, she'd call her mom. But she was sure everything was fine. What trouble could Lily possibly get into?


	50. Chapter 48: To Trust I

**To Trust I:**

Umeko watched Alopex demonstrate a kata with her kamas, appreciating the beauty of it without fully understanding her adopted sister's preference for farming tools over proper swords. Umeko, personally, was proud to wield daishou, her family weapons being a katana and wakizashi which she wore consistently at her waist.

She knew that it was unusual for a daughter to be trained in them as samurai women often got stuck with the naginata or kaiken, but the isolation of their island had required a few modifications to the traditional bushido and her family was too proud of their noble lineage to allow something as petty as the failure to produce sons, break the chain.

So Umeko became her late father's heir and would pass the tradition and swords down to her own son, whenever she chose to marry and produce one. She still considered herself young at sixteen, but her mother was already dropping hints about her lack of romantic interest. She'd resisted so far, but sooner or later, she would have to give in and allow her mother to make a match for her. It was her family duty. Best not to think about that now. Alopex finished her kata and crouched down beside Umeko.

"Well?"

"I won't deny there are some practical uses for kamas, but a true warrior favors real weapons." Alopex snorted disdainfully, but took no offense. She'd been a part of the family for over two years now and had a comfortable rivalry and friendship with Umeko.

Very few on the island could offer Umeko a real challenge in combat, so Alopex had quickly become her preferred sparring partner and they had quickly formed a bond of trust and respect.

"Kamas are real weapons. You'd find that out the hard way in a real fight. Not that there'll ever be one around here. I'll grow soft and fat on this island." Umeko chuckled. It was true. The impenetrable veil of mist from the mizugami protected them from all real attack.

"Well, stay disciplined with your training and you won't. You shouldn't seek out unnecessary battles anyway. Defending the people is a sacred duty, not entertainment."

"You and your rules."

"Bushido is more than rules. It was a way of life."

"Not for the rest of the world."

"The rest of the world doesn't matter. This island is our world. Right? You don't miss it do you?" Alopex shrugged.

"It was mostly a place of pain and fear…but I did have one friend." Umeko was surprised. Alopex barely spoke of her past and she'd respected that need for privacy. It honored her to have her sister open up to her.

"I'm sorry. Do you regret losing them?"

"No. She was human and belongs among them, just as I belong here. I wouldn't take that from her or give this up. I…it would be nice to see her once more, if only for a moment." Umeko didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could offer. The island was completely isolated and although they took in the rare castaway who washed up on shore, no one left. Ever. Alopex seemed to sense Umeko's frustrated concern.

"Don't fret. I may have lost a friend, but I gained a sister." Umeko smiled.

"Yes. I'll always be your sister."


	51. Chapter 49: The Coming Storm I

**The Coming Storm I:**

He was exultant. The prison was finally gone. His torment in a sensationless eternity broken. He was still incorporeal, incomplete. But he was free.

Instinct drew him to her. He could find her anywhere, although now she was on a tiny island beyond their kingdom. She felt him draw near and opened herself welcomingly. For a moment they luxuriated in each other's presence, so long denied.

But it could not remain this way. He needed a physical body and then, they would take back what was theirs. She knew this as well, sharing her mind with his. He could see the vessel that she'd chosen and where she was keeping it. He slipped away from her to fly at the speed of thought to the other side of the world where he could watch and inspect the prize that she had prepared for him.


	52. Chapter 50: Vision Quest V

**Vision Quest V:**

After he dropped her off in front of the building, Lily went up to the main door and hid in the alcove until she heard his car drive away. After 'the incident' her mother had walked her back to the lot she'd stumbled across many times to make sure that if she'd ever returned she would know her way home.

Now she followed that familiar route, stepping off the pavement onto the hard packed dirt. So no one had ever done anything with this place. Wonder if that grate's still broken?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she stepped into it, just as she had eight years ago. Well, she'd take that as a yes then. So now what?

* * *

Leo rolled along on his, skateboard. He usually walked or ran, but today he'd felt like he needed to get away fast. Lately he was taking off more on his own than Raph.

He was pretty sure he knew where Raph went when he wasn't thrashing criminals with Casey, but had never made any effort to confirm it. It felt like a violation of privacy. And he was beginning to better understand his volatile brother.

Ever since he'd failed to save Karai, twice, the first time when he'd let her run into the Shredder's trap and the second when he'd let her fall, he'd been slowly consumed by anger. But unlike Raph, his anger was directed inward at himself. He was trying to carry on as normal, so as not to worry his family any more than necessary, but it was taking its toll.

More and more frequently, he needed time to himself when he didn't need to pretend that he was ok and things were normal. And so he kept returning to what he considered his 'secret place' where he'd had that strange encounter as a child.

When he was almost there, a shrill cry pulled him up short. Stepping off the skateboard, he used his foot to flip it up to his hand and proceeded with silent caution. He was struck dumb by what he saw. It couldn't be, could it? Lily?

He could only gape at her while she buried her face in her hands. He staggered forward and in a very familiar turn of events, unintentionally kicked some of the garbage strewn about the drainage tunnel. Her head snapped up, turning her sightless eyes in his direction. It was definitely Lily. Older yes, but there was no mistaking those eyes. What was she doing here? Again.

"Hello? Who's there?" Would she remember him? They'd only met once, years ago.

"It's ok. I won't hurt you." She smiled, although it looked a little strained.

"Odd place for someone to be?" He couldn't help smiling back. It was the first time he'd really smiled in a while.

"I could ask you the same?" She didn't miss a beat.

"I'm a fool who fell into a hole in the ground. You?" The laugh that escaped him caught him off guard. How long had it been since he'd laughed?

"Not me. This just a surprisingly good place to skateboard."

"I'll take your word for it." Her smile faded and her face creased with worry.

"I don't suppose you've seen anyone else around here? I'm sort of looking for a friend." Looking for a friend? Could she mean him?

"Maybe. Who are you looking for?"

"His name is Ryan." Ryan? Disappointment hit him like a hammer blow to the chest. She didn't remember him.

"It's really important. He's in terrible danger and I need to speak to him." One of those visions probably. Well, even if she didn't know him anymore, he could still help as best he could.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone by that name. I'll help you look if you want. I'm Leo by the way." She sighed in relief.

"Thank you. I'm Lily." Yes, he knew.

"So what can you tell me about Ryan? Do you know his last name or where he lives?" She gave his a strange look, before bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter.

* * *

Lily tried to shut herself up. She needed Leo's help and wasn't likely to get that if he thought she was crazy. Granted, she was crazy but that wasn't relevant to the situation.

"No. I'm afraid that all I know about him is his first name. I don't know anything else and now I'm trying to find him in a huge city full of millions of people." Oh no, the hysterics were coming back.

"Hey, hey. It's ok. We'll figure something out. In the meantime, you should probably take care of some of those scrapes. This isn't the cleanest place to get an open wound. Where are you staying? I can help you get home, so you can clean up a bit, while we figure out what to do."

Oh no. What was she going to tell him? Well, he'd been surprisingly considerate so far, maybe she should just own her mistake.

"Nowhere."

"What?"

"I hitched a ride here and now I'm penniless in New York City with no place to stay and no one has any idea where I am. I really didn't plan this out well." He was silent for a moment and she realized she probably blew it. She was on her own.

"If you could just get me to the nearest homeless shelter, I'll manage from there."

"Homeless shelter?"

"My options are a bit limited at the moment."

"Are you going to be ok? Not to offend, but you don't seem very street savvy." That was an understatement.

"I don't exactly have much choice. Whether or not I'm used to it, I am homeless now. This is the only chance I'll have and I can't go back until I've spoken to Ryan. I know this must sound crazy, but I swear it's important."

* * *

He looked down at her, trying to imagine, how she'd fare in a homeless shelter. She was young, naïve and blind. In the likely case that one of the shelter workers decided to take care of her, she'd absolutely be found out and sent back to wherever she came from and lose her chance to help her friend.

The responsible thing would be to send her home, but a memory of Karai falling stopped him. He knew what it was to live with failing to save someone you cared about. He had to help her. His mind was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, that'd he'd regret it. He would be in so much trouble.

"Why don't you stay with me and my family until you figure things out? We'll all help you." She hesitated and it suddenly occurred to him that if he were another type of person that would be a very dangerous offer for her to accept. And she was well aware of that, but her face became a mask of grim determination.

"Yes. Thank you."

* * *

Something clattered to the ground nearby and a pair of strong hands gripped her under her arms, lifting her to her feet. Leo. He led her to an unstable, elevated plank and helped her up. She wobbled on it for a moment, but he caught her as he stepped up behind her.

Clamping onto her waist, he pushed off and suddenly they were moving. Fast, too fast. She was sure that they would crash or fall on one the many turns, but he gracefully navigated without any trouble at all. She was completely dizzy and disoriented by the time they stopped.

"You ok?"

"Y-yeah. That was scary, but exhilarating. And scary."

"Woah! Leo brought home a girl!" A new voice drew her attention away from the most fun and terrifying ride of her life.

"Mikey don't freak out…"

"Freak out! This is awesome! I love knew friends."

"Stop!" Leo and someone else's voice cried out, followed by a series of thuds.

"Oww. What? She looked like she could use a hug." The calm new voice answered him.

"Be that as it may, we don't want to overwhelm her."

"Leo are you out of your shell!?" An angry new voice burst into the conversation.

"Raph, shhh."

"What were you thinking? Were you thinking? And you accuse me of being reckless!"

"Enough! What is going on here?"

* * *

Leo cringed as Sensei joined the conversation that was rapidly spiraling out of control.

"Master Splinter, I can explain."

"Good. Begin explaining."

"Well, first she sort of fell through a storm grate into a drainage ditch." His father sighed.

"Donatello. Please clean and bandage her injuries."

"Hai Sensei!"

"Leonardo, I will see you in the dojo." As Donnie led Lily to his lab with an exuberant Mikey following close behind, he made his way to the dojo after his father. They both knew Raph was crouched just outside. Well, he should probably hear this before flying off the handle to go yell at Lily. Splinter tapped his tail, patiently waiting.

"Her name is Lily and she needs our help."

"And she could not be helped without bringing her into our home?"

"Well, she doesn't know where we are really and she doesn't know that we are…different, so I thought…"

"Her blindness did not escape me, however this is not without risk."

"And she is alone, broke and homeless at the moment." That gave his father pause.

"A friend of hers is in trouble and she needs to find him and warn him."

"And this friend cannot help her?"

"She needs help finding him. She doesn't really have a lot to go on."

"And how does she know that this friend needs her help?" Leo took a deep breath, knowing that the next part would be hard to swallow.

"She sort of has visions about people, sometimes in the past, sometimes the present and sometimes the future." His father frowned.

"And you believe this?" He nodded.

"Why?"

"I've met her once before, when we were eight. It was in that same drainage ditch. She'd fallen through and I kept her company while she waited for her family to find her. She had a vision then and it was true." His father's eyes widened in surprise.

"And what was that vision of?"

"Raph finding Spike and hurting his shoulder." He felt some hope as his father was now giving the idea serious consideration.

"And you say that she doesn't know what we are?"

"No. I think she sees out of other people's eyes when it happens."

"Hmm. I see. We can hear her out."

* * *

Two people helped her to sit up on a cold metal table. Someone dabbed an abrasion on her palm with stinging alcohol while talking to her in a calm voice.

"I'm Don by the way."

"Is the other person here Donatello?" That's who'd been told to help her.

"Actually, no. My name's Donatello, but I generally go by Don."

"Or Donnie." The other voice added helpfully and Don sighed.

"And I'm Mikey!" She smiled weakly. This was a little overwhelming.

"Nice to meet you. So how are you related to Leo?"

"We're his brothers."

"We're bros!" They responded simultaneously.

"So why don't you look at anyone?"

"Mikey!" Donnie hissed.

"She's obviously blind! Uh, not that that's a bad thing, well I mean for you it probably is…but we're not saying…"

"Oh. I get it. So why doesn't she wear glasses like Murakami-san?" Don just sighed. She smiled at what hopefully was Mikey's direction. He seemed to move around a lot.

"I don't get out much." At that moment Don, who had finished cleaning and bandaging her palms and knees, lifted her arm to get better access to her scraped elbow. She felt her sleeve slide down her wrist and yanked her hand back, but knew it was too late when she heard him gasp.

"Cool bracelets." Maybe, like Mikey, Don wouldn't notice what they really were but she doubted it. After an awkward pause, he just cleaned and covered her elbow through the hole in her sweater and backed off.

"Uh, Mikey, why don't you keep Lily company? I need to talk to Master Splinter."

"How'd you know her name?"

"No reason." Lily buried her face in hands, trying not to cry. Mikey, she assumed, patted her reassuringly on the back. She could hear yelling not too far away and actively avoided deciphering the words.

"Don't be sad. Raph yells about everything and at everyone. It's not personal. You know, unless it is." Mikey was trying to be kind and she wished he'd stop. It was making it even more difficult not to cry. She needed to redirect her thoughts.

"Raph?"

"Yeah, he's our other bro. You know, the one yelling at Leo earlier. That happens a lot. You'll get used to it." She wasn't sure how to react to his assumption that she was going to stay. He didn't seem to understand that the wrist bands meant that she was about to be sent back and that this was probably the last time he'd ever see her.

The others were filing back into the room and she could actually feel the tension. Three voices started talking at once, until

"Yame! We will hear from Lily now." She sighed.

"I suppose everyone knows where I'm from now." There was a murmur of assent accompanied by "nope" from Mikey.

"I realize how that affects my credibility, but I could really use some help. Then I swear I'll go back…" She searched for the word. "…home without a fuss."

"Home?" Raph sounded a little incredulous.

"Well, it will be. I'm never going to be released after this stunt."

* * *

Leo wasn't sure what to think anymore. Lily was crazy. Were her visions just part of her madness? But how could she have been so right about Raph? He didn't know. His father patted her hand reassuringly before speaking to her.

"My son tells me that you have prophetic visions." Her jaw fell open in shock and confusion, but she nodded. That's right. She didn't remember telling him about the visions years ago. She wouldn't understand why he knew.

"Are they real?" She looked like she was going to cry again.

"I don't know. They shouldn't be. They can't be. And yet…"

"You are here."

"If there is even the smallest chance that it's true, I have to try." His father nodded. It was an honorable sentiment that Leo suspected was going to cost her dearly.

"Your vision was of some danger to your friend?"

"He's going to die, horribly."

"Have you had this vision more than once?"

"Well not this particular vision, but I've had two others that involved him."

"And what were they of?" One was when we first met years ago as children. It was of him worrying about his brother, before it became a vision about his brother." Leo's brow furrowed. That sounded like their first meeting.

"Then the other was a few weeks ago." She looked very sad.

"He was watching someone fall. Someone very important to him. Her name was Karai." Time felt like it stopped and his head swam while he tried to get a hold of the storm of emotion that her words unleashed. He was the friend that she was looking for! It was him! She remembered him, but she'd called him…oh. He suddenly remembered his hastily given alias. At this point, he realized that everyone but Lily was staring at him. Raph cleared his throat.

"So, Lily, what did you say this friend's name was again?"

"Ryan." They were all looking at him again, waiting for an explanation.

"I forgot that I didn't give her my real name when we first met." Donnie looked confused.

"Why?"

"I thought it was a good measure to keep our family a secret."

"But…"

"I was eight! It seemed like a good idea to an eight-year-old!" Raph smirked.

"So you name yourself after your Space Hero idol?"

"I said I was eight!"

* * *

Lily absorbed the words around her. Eight years old? Fake name? Space Heroes? Captain Ryan? Leo was Ryan. Ryan was Leo. How had she missed that? Because it had never occurred to her that he would lie. Why would he? What family secret was he protecting?

She'd just assumed that it was coincidence that he'd been a huge Captain Ryan fan who'd been named Ryan. Her cheeks burned as she felt like a fool. Leo's voice broke through her self-recrimination.

"I'm sorry Lily. I guess I'm the friend that you were looking for." That's right, he was here. She'd found him. Somehow, against all odds, she'd succeeded. She'd tell him, he'd be safe and it would all be worth it. Raph still sounded indignant.

"What does it matter!? She's crazy and Leo's not going to die! End of story!"

"But she knew about Karai…" Mikey whimpered.

"Lily, how accurate are your visions?" Don again. She was getting better at tracking who was who.

"The doctors say it's coincidental."

"How often?"

"I've never known one to be wrong, even on the smallest details, but there've been plenty I could never follow up, on, so I don't know."

"But you've never had a vision that you knew was wrong?" She shook her head.

"No. Never."

"It's mathematically unlikely that such accuracy is coincidence."

"What are you saying Donnie? That you think Leo's gonna die?" Raph sounded angry and a little desperate. Mikey sniffled.

"Well, maybe this will be the first time she's wrong D. I don't want Leo to die." Don sighed.

"Well of course he's not going to die. That's why she's here isn't it?" Lily nodded.

"I can't do anything about past or present visions, but future ones can be altered if I do act on them. They always happen if I leave them alone, but if I intervene, tell people…"

"…then you can prevent it. Change the future." Don finished for her. The one they called Master Splinter or Sensei was speaking again.

"We appreciate the risk you've taken coming here. Please tell us of the vision." She took a breath.

"It's…it's bad."

"I understand. We are prepared."

"Ok, I know some of it will be hard to believe. It doesn't seem like it can be real, but…" She closed her eyes and prepared to relive the nightmare she'd been suppressing.

* * *

Splinter felt ill as he heard Lily recite one of his worst nightmares. His sons were strained and sick looking as they listened, particularly Leonardo. And it was no wonder. Somehow, some way this needed to be stopped, prevented.

But it was very real. How else could she describe what was undoubtedly going to be the Kraang invasion? Or Leonardo's hidden ninja weapons and fighting style? Or the Shredder? There were too many details that she could not know.

But other than Leonardo fighting the Shredder alone during the Kraang invasion, whenever it occurred, they had nothing else to go on. No one spoke when she finished her recitation and Splinter locked down his panic.

"Is there any more? Any detail you might have forgotten?" She looked relieved to be taken seriously. A true visionary who'd been told that she was mad all her life.

"No. That's all I saw."

"Have you ever had follow up visions with more information?"

"No. They've always been isolated incidents."

"Could you try?" She seemed momentarily stunned, as if the thought had never occurred to her before.

"I don't know. The visions come upon me suddenly and without warning. I've only ever tried stopping them. Without any success." That meant that she'd never failed at trying to have a vision on purpose.

"Then you could try?" She nodded.

"But I don't really know how."

"There are some mental exercises I could teach you, to focus your mind. If you would be willing to stay and try to learn more information about this vision, we would appreciate it. I am not ungrateful for the warning you have already given, but…"

"It's not enough." For someone who had at first seemed very frail and helpless, her countenance held a great deal of determination.

"Yes. I want to do anything I can to prevent this." He nodded in relief. There was hope that his son could be spared.

"Rest for now. I will begin working with you tomorrow. Leonardo, please take her to the guest room and since she will be our guest for a while, it might be best if she is told about us now, rather than find out on he own later."

Leonardo grimly nodded and helped Lily off the table, leading her to the room that had once been April's and more recently…Miwa's.


	53. Chapter 51: Brotherhood III

**Brotherhood III:**

Leo shifted uncomfortably as he led Lily to the guest room with his hand on her shoulder, unwilling to risk letting her hold his hand before he had a chance to explain things.

Maybe it was what he might lose when she learned he wasn't human. It had been strangely pleasant to pretend, however briefly.

Maybe it was setting someone else up in that room. They'd originally put it together for April when she'd needed to stay with them for a time, but that had always been a temporary thing. Although she'd barely stayed in this room a day or two, it was supposed to have been Karai's room…permanently. Giving it to someone else seemed wrong. Like he was giving up on Karai.

But, like April, Lily's stay was only temporary. It was like Karai was just lending the room to her. That would be ok. Maybe.

She listened quietly as he moved her around the room, identifying the various pieces of furniture that she could use, trying very hard not to think about her vision of him. He'd need to process that later, by himself.

"So, anyway, I know it isn't much but I hope you're comfortable. And we have a friend that can bring you some hu…girl clothes."

"Thanks Leo…for being willing to help me out." He was taken aback when she finally spoke. She sat on the bed gazing off to the corner of the room, the bed being an unfurled futon. He sat down on the bed too, but kept a large gap between them.

"Your welcome, but obviously by helping you I'm helping myself, so that makes it a bit less noble." He tried to smile at his own joke.

"But you didn't know that. Not at first, when I barely had anything to go on and probably wasn't acting like a very rational person. I kind of got the impression that you weren't supposed to bring me home, but you did even though we only met once and you haven't seen me in years and I couldn't have sounded at all credible with my impossible mission. Thank you for taking me seriously and helping me."

He wasn't sure what to say to that at first. She was right. Anyone else would probably have just tried to dump her off at a shelter and forgotten about her. But they were used to helping complete strangers out of crazy situations and he believed her visions. And he knew why she needed to do it.

"You had that vision about Karai, right?" She nodded.

"I know what it's like to fail someone important. I didn't want you to have to feel that too."

"Is she dead? That girl, Karai?"

"No."

"Then you haven't failed her yet. Don't give up on her." He smiled. That's right. Things might look bad now, but Karai was alive. Lost and mutated, but alive. Donnie had made retro-mutagen before for Mr. O'Neil. He could do it again. In fact, it should be easier the second time around. And if they could track down Kraang stealth ships, they ought to be able to track down Karai. Yes. It wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

"Thanks Lily. For that and for coming to help me. I kind of feel like you risked a lot to do it." She shrugged.

"No big deal."

"Is that really true?" She sighed.

"No. I was hoping to be able to check myself out of the…place I was staying in when I turned eighteen and might have been able to with good behavior, but now…" She'd given up her freedom on a long shot to help him?

"I'm sorry Lily."

"Don't be. I'd rather you be alive."

"But…"

"Sure, it's a setback, but I'm not giving up either. It may take longer than I planned but I will be out someday. Don't worry. I'll find a way." He couldn't help but smile at her determination.

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Anytime, Ry…Leo. Hmph. I've been thinking of you as Ryan for years. That's going to take some getting used to." He let out a chagrined chuckle.

"Sorry about that. It seemed like a good idea at the time." She laughed too.

"I still can't believe I didn't catch it after all your gushing about Space Heroes."

"Well you might have been distracted by the sheer awesomeness of discovering that show." She giggled.

"It almost sounds like you still watch it." He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, no way. That's kid stuff." She arched an eyebrow, almost at him.

"Fine. Yes, I still watch it when my brothers will let me. And when we're not watching Super Robo Mecha Force Five."

"Good. I never did get chance to experience it. Maybe I'll listen in when you do." He grinned. This was fun. The problems they'd been having were far from his mind as he bantered with his childhood friend. It was nice and easy and now he had to ruin it. The grin faded.

"Lily, there's something you should know, if you're going to be staying with us for a while. It's better not to find out on your own accidentally. Please don't freak out." Her happy expression morphed into quizzical concern.

"Does it have something to do with the crazy sword fighting you were doing in my vision? Or the freaky sci-fi space ships?"

"Well…actually yes…"

* * *

Lily listened, immobile and silent as Leo awkwardly related his family's unique history. She really was listening and absorbing it. Well maybe not completely, that would take some thought and time.

She was mostly stuck on the start where he'd said that he wasn't human. He was obviously a person. Other than being better than most people, he'd never struck her as being particularly different from anyone else she'd ever met.

He said that he was a mutant turtle. She'd table the ninja part for now. That could be figured out later. She didn't have any experience with turtles. She'd never had a chance to hold one or even be in the same vicinity as one and knew only the roughest description of them from her limited education. They had shells and they were slow.

Slow didn't seem to describe Leo. The closest comparison that she had was that vision of his brother. Tortoise, he mind recalled as she tried to picture Spike from memory. Was that different from turtle? It walked on four legs. Leo walked on two and he had hands. He fought with swords and did backflips. There was no way Spike could do those things. She simply couldn't picture him.

He'd finished his explanation and was now waiting expectantly for her reaction. If he did look as strange as he said, this was probably a nerve wracking moment for him. From what she knew, people didn't react well to anything that looked different from what they expected.

"Wow. I guess that's why you weren't supposed to bring anyone here."

"Uh yeah." He sounded stunned.

"So, you're ok…with us?" She smiled and shrugged.

"One of the few nice things about being blind is that I'm more concerned with who people are than what they look like. You're still just my friend Ry…Leo to me. Nothing's really changed to me."

"Really?"

"Really. So…sword fighting huh?"

* * *

Mikey hummed cheerfully to himself as he baked a fresh pizza for dinner to celebrate their new friend. Everyone had insisted on ordering Antonio's tonight, which was cool, but he was still going to make something special. It wasn't everyday they got a new human buddy. Plus he was hungry too.

Too bad Leo was probably going to hog this one, the way Donnie did April and Raph did Casey. When was he going to get his own human? It didn't seem fair that he was last. He was the most fun and would be a great friend if someone would give him a chance.

With flourish, he put the finishing touches on his candy, cheese puff and tomato pizza, some of his most rare and precious ingredients. Maybe sour gummy worms weren't the best choice, but it was all he'd been able to find recently.

And besides, maybe it would be good. You couldn't go too wrong with pizza. It was the ultimate comfort food. Well the ultimate food really, but he could use some comfort. At least he was feeling better now.

Sure he'd been horrified when Lily was going on about Leo dying and had to run to the bathroom to throw up at the end of it, but he was mostly ok now. It wasn't going to happen, so everything was good.

She'd told Sensei and he was going to take care of it. Plus, Leo always knew just what to do, Donnie could fix anything and if anyone else ever really tried to hurt one of them, Raph would pound them into dust. It was all under control now. He hummed to himself as he prepped the oven.

* * *

Raph pummeled the punching bag with a vengeance, knowing full well, he'd have to practically rebuild it afterwards. He didn't care. It was worth it. He couldn't get that stupid girl's story out of his head. Where did she get off graphically describing his brother's death like it was nothing? What was wrong with her?

His next punch detached the dummy's body from its head, spilling filling all over the floor. Frustrated, he punched the metal support pole, denting it and sending a radiating wave of pain up his wrist and through arm. Damn. Resting his head against the pole, he waited for the pain to recede to a dull throb. He should probably get some ice for it.

"Aayyyeee!"

"Hey, you met Ice Cream Kitty!"

"Mikey!" Sounded like Leo's home tour had made it to the kitchen. He'd wait. He sighed. It wasn't really her fault. She was trying to help. He just couldn't help but wonder if it was his fault and he hated that. Was it some order he'd disregarded or reckless action he'd taken?

He couldn't count all the times Leo had been in serious danger, some of which nearly costing his big brother his life. More of those were his fault than he liked to admit. After each time, he'd always intended to do better. Actually listen to Leo's plans, wait for orders, and not give his brother so much crap. But every time he fell back into old habits.

Was this time going to be the screw up he kept fearing? The one that did Leo in? No! It wouldn't be! One way or another he'd get Leo through this. Somehow.

* * *

Donnie sat in his lab, staring numbly at his computer screen. Normally, a text from April made him giddy, even if it was just an acknowledgement of a text he'd sent her. Like when he'd asked her to bring some clothes for Lily.

But that story of Leo's death. His memory couldn't let go of the details, carefully examining and cataloguing every one. As it should. Anyone of those details could be essential. He just wished he could shield himself as he did it.

He knew in horrifying scientific detail exactly what each of those injuries would do to Leo. How irreparable the injuries would be even without the gruesome final blow. How painful. Granted the plastron was less sturdy than the carapace, but the actual puncturing of either would be unpleasant enough on its own without the inevitable effects of a gut wound. Well several gut wounds.

He tried not to think about how Leo would struggle for breath with punctured lungs or how his consciousness would interpret having his own head sawed off while he lived, however briefly. He felt like he had to do something. He just didn't know what and this stillness was killing him.

He was always in motion, well not like Mikey, but he was always doing something. Planning. Building. Experimenting. Calculating. Researching. There was always something that could be done and the progress of accomplishment always soothed and comforted him. But he couldn't stop thinking about Leo's death and it was paralyzing. He needed something to latch on to. If he could find a starting point, then he could get to work and fix it.

Hmm. Lily had mentioned the space ships. It was going to happen during the Kraang invasion. That's right! If he could just determine when that would be and stop the invasion or at least finish his new weapon, Leo would be safe. Quod erat demonstrandum. With a sigh of relief, he opened his laptop. Yes, he could totally fix this.


	54. Chapter 52: Obligation of Heaven II

**Obligation of Heaven II:**

Mei crouched between the cargo crates, waiting for the ship to dock. After weeks of careful divination with their luopan, she and her brother had managed to narrow down the Dragonlord's energy to New York City in America. Da-Huan, no Chung I now, had more of a natural gift for Geomancy, but she wasn't incompetent at it.

They'd had one of their more worldly disciples arrange transport and lease some building for her to use as a base of operations. She patted her bag, to reassure herself that the carefully prepared maps he'd given her hadn't mysteriously vanished. She knew that her father had lived her with her there for a time, that she'd been born here, but she didn't remember it. Her life at the monastery was all she'd ever known.

She was a trained warrior, skilled in both the physical and metaphysical arts on a sacred mission ordained by heaven and she was terrified. She'd been so confident as she traveled carefully to the coast and calm on the long journey by sea, but now that she was about to dive into a new and unfamiliar world, one that she could not be a part of, she was afraid.

It was like standing at the edge of a waterfall, unable to see the bottom, feeling the pressure of the river on your legs and knowing that you had to dive. She could be landing in a cool deep pool or on jagged rocks. Closing her eyes, she gathered her energy, wrapped it around her like a shield, calming her violent nerves. She could do this.

* * *

Mei's heart sank as she gazed around the abandoned warehouse that was to be her home. It was cavernous, filthy and full of discarded boxes and other unwanted junk. Not forever. She wouldn't be staying here forever. Just until she completed her mission.

A short search yielded a nasty piece of fabric that could work as a rag. Reluctant to grip it, even with her gloves on, she carried to the water's edge, hoping the briny Atlantic might provide some sterilization. Under cover of darkness and beneath a pier, she dumped it in the water, peeled off her gloves, rolled up her sleeves and scrubbed it, until touching it seemed tolerable. Then she spread it across some rocks and returned to the warehouse.

A considerably longer search produced the remnants of a large metal drum canister that could work as a bucket. With equal distaste, she carried that to the ocean and cleaned it out with her rag. When she was finally convinced that both objects would produce less not more filth, she filled her bucket, grabbed her rag and returned to the warehouse. An hour or two of determined scrubbing rewarded a clean, if not comfortable corner to live in for the foreseeable future.

With a sigh of relief, she spread out her bedroll and unpacked the few meager belongings she'd brought with her. The most important of which was her luopan. It would be difficult without her brother's help but she would persevere.

Narrowing their search down to a location as general as a large city had been daunting, but was much less difficult than producing a precise location. It was a shame that being in such close proximity to her goal would not make this any easier. But that wasn't how divination worked. And she no longer had her brother's aid. This train of thought was getting her nowhere.

She took a comfortable sitting position on her bedroll and began her breathing exercises, letting the flow of chi, in and out, calm her mind and fortify her spirit. No obstacle was too great. She would not fail.


	55. Chapter 53: To Overcome IV

**To Overcome IV:**

Lisa dropped her duffle bag on the floor next to her work station. What was she doing here? It was the middle of the night. She had to be at the bus station in a few hours and she hadn't gotten any sleep. Not that she'd been getting a lot lately. She knew exactly why she was here. Lily was missing. She had been for almost two weeks. She'd just disappeared from the day trip that her mother and father had taken her on.

Statistically, Lisa knew that the odds of Lily being alive after being abducted so long without ransom demands were not good, but her mind refused to accept that possibility. Not that her likely condition or situation would be that great if whoever took was keeping her alive. But if she could be found alive and brought home, she would survive it and recover. Lily was strong. So much stronger than anyone else suspected. But the longer she was gone, the more difficult it would be.

Lisa had been frantic with worry. She wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping. She was falling apart and it was reflecting in her work. Which of course had earned her no small beratement from Dr. Filtch as it was consequently reflecting in the work he was taking credit for. She'd actually been desperate enough to call her Uncle Arthur and beg him to put his pet black ops guy on the case.

Unfortunately Savage had been unavailable but her Uncle assured her that he had already engaged the services of a skilled private investigative force to find his missing niece. His intense determination to locate Lily had actually left Lisa speechless.

The way he'd never visited Lily, she'd assumed that he didn't care. But maybe he did, and just didn't know how to interact with people that he loved and so retreated to the familiar territory of running the family business. Maybe he was afraid he'd screw it up like he did when he was responsible for Lily's mom who disappeared. She resolved to cut him some slack in the future.

Diane had noticed her distress and had tried comforting her, even to the point of convincing her to go on this stupid camping trip upstate. As though somehow nature could soothe her troubled mind and let her think clearly again.

But she had agreed. Because Lily loved nature and it would feel like being connected with her again. They were leaving this morning. So what was she doing here when she should be catching a few more hours of sleep?

She knew. The superintendent had screwed something up and the building no longer had internet access for however long it would take to fix. She had to check the threads and message boards she'd set up to search for Lily and didn't feel like dealing with the annoying mobile versions of the sites which were all irritatingly poor in their construction and design.

As she scrolled through them at her workstation in a blatant misuse of company resources, she'd found nothing had changed. No real information. Just useless cranks giving her crap in the hopes that she'd hand over the reward she'd offered to them.

With a cry of frustration, she hit her desk with her fist and powered the computer down. Groaning, she leaned back in her computer chair and rubbed her eyes. What was she doing? And why did she still hear the computer humming? It should be off by now. Pulling her hands away from her face, she could see that it was off. So where was the sound coming from?

Dr. Filtch's station was on the other side of her cubicle wall, which was thankfully tall enough that she didn't have to look at him all day. But why would his computer be on? He usually left early. Curious, she got up and went around to his side.

Moving the mouse, she deactivated the screensaver and gasped. In fascinated shock and indignation, she scrolled through his files and processes. No wonder such an idiot had such a prestigious job and impressive credentials. He didn't do any of his own work. He just stole other people's research and passed it off as his own. Under the clever alias of 'Captain Filch.'

Captain Filch? Really? Apparently he'd never gotten past middle school. Well there was at least one silver lining. With this proof, she and the rest of the real science community could finally be rid of him.

* * *

Phineas shuddered as he returned to the office. He could feel the creepy robots following him…for his 'protection.' Moonlighting at this second job had been a terrible mistake, no matter how much money he was being offered. What had he been thinking signing on with such terrifying people?

He liked his crime from a safe distance. But now he was in too deep and there was no way out. Normally, he wouldn't have dropped everything and run off in the middle of…working…but this was not the kind of man you said no to. He'd seen what had happened to the others who'd displeased him and it gave him nightmares.

Turning the key, he opened up the office door and gasped. Dammit! That spoiled brat they'd assigned him was on his computer. She knew! He was screwed! Unless… He glanced warily back at the robots he knew to be concealed in the shadows.

"Get her and keep her quiet!" To his surprise and relief, they complied, dropping down beside the girl, seemingly out of nowhere. She let out a startled scream and quick as lightning, pulled out a canister of mace.

Unfortunately for her, robots weren't particularly vulnerable to that weapon. It misted harmlessly around the one robot's face, while the other grabbed her from behind and clamped a hand over her mouth. He approached and her eyes turned to him as she struggled violently, if futilely in the robot's metal grasp.

Terrified as her gaze was, it still filled with disdain and hatred when it landed on him. He had to admit, seeing her powerless like this was gratifying. But now what? He couldn't just disappear her like the others. His test subjects were carefully culled from the homeless population. They were gullible people, easily lured with food or alcohol and no one would miss them. As long as he didn't take too many at once and not too many from the same location.

But she was an heiress. There would be an investigation if she went missing. And he shuddered at the thought of bringing his new employer any kind of legal scrutiny. The consequences would be deeply unpleasant for him.

Hmm. A duffle bag. Maybe she was keeping secrets too. Something he could blackmail her with. That was his specialty after all. He unzipped the bag and gasped at his good fortune. Glancing over the itinerary, he knew his plan would work. It was perfect.

The stupid chit was going camping in the middle of nowhere for two weeks and had let people know. If anyone looked for her, they'd probably assume that she'd been eaten by a bear. No one would look here, at him.

After removing one critical piece, he zipped up the duffle bag and tossed it to the robot holding her. It sprouted and extreme arm to catch it. That was enough to shock the girl into stillness.

"She knows too much of our plans. Put her with the rest of the test subjects."

* * *

Phineas sat on a bench at the bus station, wearing an uncharacteristic coat and hat. He had no intention of being recognized on camera. He'd identified all their locations ahead of time and was casually but carefully keeping his face out of them.

He'd been scanning people for a while now, looking for just the right one. She had to resemble Miss Webster enough, but be willing to take a free ticket from a stranger. Jackpot. The girl looked nervous. Probably a runaway teen. Dumb kid. The resemblance was close enough. He sauntered over to her and she paused with wide, fearful eyes.

"Excuse me Miss. I've had a family emergency and can't take my trip. Before you buy your ticket, I was wondering if you could use mine. I don't know if it's where you're going, but it seems a shame to waste it." Her surprise transformed into joy and she barely glanced at the destination on the ticket in his outstretched hand.

"Yeah. It's perfect. Thanks Mister." He grinned and backed away, knowing that he'd stopped her right outside of the line of sight of the security cameras. Perfect.

"You're welcome. Just glad someone can use it. Have a good trip." She nodded and he strode away as though he had somewhere important to be. When he was sure she wasn't watching, he ducked into an alley and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd gotten away with it.

"Phineas?" He about jumped out of his skin.

"Diane? What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to meet Lisa here. I'm going on a trip with her, but I can't find her anywhere. She should have been here already. It isn't like her to be late." Dammit! His perfect plan was falling apart. Wait. Did she say she was going on that trip with Lisa? He quickly glanced around. No one could see them here.

"Diane, can I see your ticket?" His request obviously struck her as odd, but she was too worried and flustered to pay it much mind and readily complied.

"Take her to the rest of the test subjects, without being seen or heard." She stared at him in total incomprehension until his remaining guardian robot appeared behind her, wrapping its arms around her body and mouth. She had a brief look of terror before being struck unconscious. As the robot vanished with her, he glanced down at the ticket. Looked like he had another one to unload.


	56. Chapter 54: To Trust II

**To Trust II:**

Umeko approached Alopex as she sat on the edge of a cliff gazing out into the fog that perpetually surrounded the island. She'd been spending more and more time alone here.

"Thought I'd find you here." She sat down next to her sister, when Alopex didn't immediately respond. She'd been growing distant lately.

"You miss it, don't you? The outside world." Alopex sighed.

"No, I don't. I'm just trying to make sense of this place. I'm not accustomed to being ignorant." Umeko felt a stab of guilt.

"You know it's not our custom to explain our secrets to outsiders." Alopex's expression hardened.

"And that's what I am, isn't it? I'll spend the rest of my life here. This is my home. You call me your sister. But I am and will always be an outsider. Unworthy of trust." That's what this was really about. Umeko couldn't look at Alopex without feeling miserable. She had a point.

Normally, the people who washed ashore were outsiders. They were human and never truly fit in. They never belonged. But Alopex was different from the start. She did belong. And Umeko truly did think of her as a sister. Perhaps an exception could be made for her. She wasn't like the other castaways. She was family.

"I do trust you." Alopex glanced over, clearly waiting for the caveat.

"Follow me." Her skepticism transformed into surprise as she rose to trail after Umeko. Gathering her thoughts, Umeko decided on where to start as they walked.

"There is a myth of the origin of our island. Once a long time ago, we were just a regular island. Remote perhaps, but no different than any other. I am descended from the samurai family than once protected this domain, when we were a part of the world.

"One day, strange outsiders came to our island. The stories don't always agree on who they were or what they looked like but they were not a natural part of this world. My ancestors fought bravely, but were ultimately overpowered. Our people were enslaved and…changed.

"I don't know what they did or how they did it, but they took all they people living here and all the foxes, native to the island and combined us. Humans became part fox and foxes became part human, but we were all they're unwilling servants." Alopex just gaped at her.

"But you…we…are free now. Aren't we?"

"Yes. Alone and afraid. We prayed to the Mizugami for deliverance. She had always provided us with calm seas and plenty of fish before. We didn't know who else to turn to. She heard the prayers of our ancestors and came to our aid, driving away the strangers who had enslaved us.

"But she could not undo what had been done to us. So instead, she shrouded our isle in impenetrable mist, to protect us from the outside world that might try to harm us. And so we became a new community and pay homage to the Mizugami who keeps us safe."

As she finished the tale, they arrived at the secret shrine of the Mizugami. She gave Alopex a moment to look upon it in wonder. Umeko approached the shrine and knelt before it, offering a prayer of thanksgiving to their guardian spirit.

Suddenly she was pinned to the ground and tied up before she could even process what was happening. Someone was attacking.

"Alopex! Help!" Whatever else she might have said died in her throat. Alopex had attacked her.

"I don't understand. Why?" Her sister at least had the grace to look sad as she stared down at her.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way Umeko. Under other circumstances, we could have been friends." What was she doing? Why? To her horror, Alopex approached the shrine. Raising her kama, she began to destroy the shrine while reciting a memorized incantation in a language Umeko didn't know. She could feel the Mizugami's energy waver and shatter.

"Alopex! No! Stop!" The shrine was ruined. The Mizugami was driven off. Their protection was gone. Because she had shared the secret. Umeko felt like she was going to be sick. Betrayed. Her sister had betrayed her. No! Alopex was not her sister any longer. She never had been.

"Traitor!" Alopex flinched slightly, but did not stop as she returned to Umeko.

"You were a worthy opponent." Before Umeko could curse her again, the handle of the kama came down hard upon her head, sending her into darkness.

* * *

Alopex paced the deck of the Foot ship moored just off the island, trying not to hear the terrified cries of the island's inhabitants as the Foot soldiers rounded them up. She hadn't expected to become so attached. To come to respect Umeko.

The mission was over. Best not to dwell on it any longer. When they were done here and everyone had been relocated to a detention facility, she could see Karai again. Something to look forward to.

"You seem troubled Alopex. Is something wrong?" Alopex started at the sound of Kitsune's voice. No matter how superior her natural senses or how much she trained, she knew that Kitsune would always surprise her. There was just something about her. She knelt before Kitsune.

"No. It was just a long mission. I am ready to do what is necessary."

"Good. I will finish up here. You will oversee the transport of the prisoners. Master Shredder may have use for them. I will expect your full report of the mission upon my return."

"Yes, Kitsune."


	57. Chapter 55: What Lies in Shadow V

**What Lies in Shadow V:**

Kitsune walked the deserted island, breathing in the echo of its power. She followed Alopex's instructions to the defiled shrine of the Mizugami. Such a foolish spirit of water to bind her fate to such fallible creatures. And now all that power was hers for the taking.

Standing before the shrine, she closed her eyes and concentrated, drawing in the power of the helpless Mizugami. After the blow Alopex had dealt, she could not resist and her sentience evaporated as her power fused into a talisman of water in Kitsune's hands. One more step closer to victory.


	58. Chapter 56: Brotherhood IV

**Brotherhood IV:**

Mikey rummaged disappointedly through the fridge. April had brought some fresh vegetables from one of those awesome human stores. He munched on a carrot as he looked around.

Not that he didn't like fresh vegetables. They were so much crunchier fresh than when they found them in the trash. But April rarely brought them the really good looking stuff that he saw in commercials. The things that people almost never threw away.

Something about health and sugar comas. He wasn't really listening. What was wrong with sugar? As far as he was concerned, it was the most awesome of the food groups. Speaking of… He opened the freezer and petted Ice Cream Kitty till he purred, licking the excess ice cream off of his fingers. Best pet ever.

He was pretty sure Lily would eventually get comfortable with Ice Cream Kitty whenever she adjusted to the idea that stuff in the freezer could meow and swat at her. Too bad he couldn't just go to a human store and pick out what he wanted. That would be the best thing ever.

That people could just walk into a building full of every type of food imaginable and choose anything they wanted to eat seemed like magic to him. He'd been so excited when April started bringing them store food, but she hardly ever brought him the stuff he asked for, saying he didn't need any more sugar…or caffeine. How could you have enough sugar?

He'd tried asking Casey, who readily agreed and consistently forgot. It wasn't fair. He heard Lily enter the kitchen behind him, tapping her white plastic stick around in case any of them had accidentally left stuff for her to trip over. Too bad she didn't know how to go to the surface. Unless…

* * *

How had she let him talk her into this? This was a terrible idea. What was she doing?

"Ok, now move a little to the right and forward again." Mikey's voice sounded through her Bluetooth earpiece that he'd borrowed from Donnie's lab while his poor brother was unsuccessfully trying to talk to April.

Although Lily could hear the awkwardness in their conversations when Donnie was trying painfully hard to impress her, Lily was happy for him. It must be nice to be in love. She could hear it in his longing sighs and wistful descriptions of her. She'd never been in love. Probably because the only person besides her mom that she had ever been particularly close to was her cousin. Her life had been spent largely in isolation.

This was the first time, besides that one year living with Lisa's family that she'd ever been a part of something. The casual closeness of people in a family setting was a comfort she'd never really noticed, even when she'd lived as part of a family.

Her mother worked so much to keep them housed and fed that there hadn't been much mother-daughter time when she collapsed home, exhausted. And Lisa's parents had always been so formal and distant. But Mikey's family was always interacting, voluntarily or not.

She didn't know how she'd ever be able to return to the loneliness of her old life after this. And that was why she'd agreed to this terrible idea. She couldn't bear the thought of losing this companionship and was desperate to keep it.

"Ok. You're right in front of the door. I think it says 'pull' on the handle." He was directing her from the storm drain in the road. She found the handle and tugged to no avail for a few minutes. Frustrated, she leaned on the door and staggered into the building.

"I guess it was 'push,' my bad." She stuck her hand in her pocket, well April's really as the clothing was loaned from her, to make sure the money Mikey had given her was still there. It was his savings and she was afraid to lose it.

"Ok, I want…"

"I know. You've told me the list about thirty times. I'm pretty sure I have it memorized, but you can correct me if I get it wrong. Now shush. I need to find an employee." She cleared her voice and spoke louder.

"Hello. Is anyone here?" Another voice approached.

"Can I help you Miss?"

"Yes. Could you take me to your candy selection?"

* * *

Donnie hummed happily as he worked. Visits from April always made him feel better. After the lightheadedness and nausea passed. And after he got over embarrassing himself. Well, it hadn't even been a full year since he met her. He'd get better in time. He hoped.

Making his way to the kitchen to make a salad from the groceries that April had brought, he noticed cheerfully how clean the lair was and shared an internal victory high five with Leo. The garbage and clutter that had always littered the place had been a long standing point of contention in the family.

Donnie's lab might seem chaotic to the untrained eye, but everything had an exact at, carefully selected and labeled place. He always knew where everything was, provided one of his brothers wasn't messing with his stuff. Leo might not be as OCD about labeling, but he did like things just so.

Raph and Mikey had always carelessly left their junk around their home, much to Leo and Donnie's annoyance. Granted Mikey was an order of magnitude worse than Raph, Raph's disinterest in picking up after himself was still a problem, always asking what harm it was doing. But, irritating as it was, he and Leo refused to pick up after them like maid service, which left them at a standstill.

Until Lily arrived. Now it was definitely doing harm and they had to clean up after themselves. She had her cane, but that didn't always identify the haphazard piles of empty pizza boxes and stacks of videos and comics.

She usually waved off her fall injuries as her own fault, but it still totally guilt tripped his brothers into being responsible. Her most recent tumble over a stack of horror comics had left a very ugly cut and bruise on her forehead that sent Mikey into fits of cleaning every time he looked at it.

And he hadn't seen a piece of discarded weight training equipment or pile of martial arts or motorcycle magazines since she'd caught her foot on one of Raph's free weights and fallen into the flooded stairwell that acted as their pool.

She'd been a little freaked out about it, but he assured her that the water was clean. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, ever since April had started visiting them, he'd cleaned it out himself and installed an elaborate filtration system in the vain hope that she might one day go swimming here. If only he could work up the courage to ask her.

Munching on his salad, he returned to his lab, to keep working. He wanted to be prepared in case April called. Granted, she just left, but she might call. It was not outside of the realm of possibility. But he'd need his hands free to work. Hmm. Where was the earpiece attachment for his T phone? It should be right here.

"Mikey!" No response. If his youngest brother was in the lair, that would have elicited the start of a chase and probably some gleeful cackling. Angrily, he set aside his lunch and his work and hit Mikey's speed dial number.

"Hwi Dommie. Wuf upf?"

"Mikey what are you eating?" His brother swallowed noisily before answering.

"Peeps covered in chocolate syrup. And individually packaged brownies with rainbow candies on top. They are the most amazing thing ever! I'm totally making Peep, brownie and chocolate syrup pizza tonight."

"Aren't Peeps seasonal?"

"Advertising says it's always in season."

"How did you…you know what never mind. I don't care. Where is my phone earpiece?"

"Uh…why would I know?" Ugh. Mikey was such a bad liar it was painful.

"Mikey!"

"Sorry, I just borrowed it. We're almost back. Geez."

"We?"

"Me and Lily."

"It's Lily and I…and where did you take Lily?"

"To the convenience store."

"What? You can't…she could have been hurt! For candy!"

"Chill. She's fine. Have a little faith in her D."

"You are in so much trouble when you get back."

"Totally worth it."

* * *

Raph rolled his eyes as he listened to Master Splinter lecture Mikey about carelessly taking Lily to the surface alone to get junk food. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lily cringing with each remonstration while she stood at the dojo entrance. With a sigh, he stopped doing sai pushups and dragged her forcefully to the kitchen.

Opening up one of Mikey's candy bars, he broke off a piece and handed it to her, before devouring in the rest himself. She ate it hesitantly.

"You'd think that you'd be used to Mikey getting in trouble by now. It happens often enough." She managed a small smile.

"You mean like you?" He snorted derisively but didn't deny it. She sighed.

"I know. I just feel like this one is my fault. I could have told him no." He licked the chocolate off of his fingers. This stuff Mikey brought back tasted pretty good.

"Nah. No matter how much trouble he gets in, this stuff will be worth it to him." She grinned at that.

"I hope so." The silence that followed made him keenly aware of how little time he'd spent talking to her since she arrived. He'd actually been avoiding her a bit. Not her fault. She just reminded him of that stupid Leo vision and he didn't care for it. And now they were stuck here at the table. What possessed to try and be nice to her? She cleared her throat unnecessarily.

"So, how's Spike? I haven't had a chance to ask about him since I got here." He froze, momentarily unable to move or breathe as his throat constricted. Her smile faded with his lack of response. Finally he managed to edge a word out.

"What?"

"My first vision of your family was of you and Spike. He was on that ledge and fell in the water and you dove in and saved him. Hit your shoulder on something doing it." She rubbed her shoulder unconsciously as she talked. His eyes flicked to the crack in his shell that he hadn't thought about for years.

"You saw me?" She shook her head.

"The vision was through your eyes, so I only really saw Spike. He was cute though." Yeah, he had been cute. Raph could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he recalled the fate of his best friend and the monster he'd become.

"Spike's gone." He abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over and stalked out of the room, absolutely refusing to cry.

* * *

Leo was in the dojo, finally empty after Sensei had finished reaming Mikey out, working through a kata when her heard Lily tap he way up the stairs to the entrance. It was early for her training session with Sensei.

She was waiting to be invited in. It was a thing she did after almost getting clocked in the head with one of Mikey's nunchaku after Raph had disarmed him in one of their training sessions. He was a little disappointed that she couldn't see. They had so few friends and that moment of wonder, the first time one of their new friends saw them training was kind of vindicating.

Even the insufferably arrogant Casey Jones had stared in slack jawed awe and envy before grudgingly admitting that they were alright. Not that all the years of intense training weren't worth it. It was just nice to be recognized for it once in a while. He finished his kata and turned his full attention to her. She seemed upset.

"What's wrong?"

"I was talking to Raph." Leo sighed in exasperation. What had his temperamental brother said or done now? Seriously, Donnie needed to invent some kind of behavior filter for Raph.

"I asked him how Spike was doing." Leo froze and cringed. Oh. Ok, maybe not Raph's fault this time.

"Do you mind if I ask when and how he died?" Died? Spike? Did Raph tell her that?

"What exactly did Raph say?"

"He said that Spike was gone."

"Well, he is but he's not dead."

"Did Raph lose him?" She sounded a little incredulous.

"Remember when I told you about the mutagen?" She nodded.

"Well, Spike got into it and transformed into…a monster really. It turned out he was obsessed with Raph and tried to kill Mikey, Donnie and me. Raph had to fight off his best friend to save us and now he's gone." Her eyes widened.

"Oh." She thought for a moment.

"So there's still a chance he can work things out with Spike then, I mean if he can find him?" That was an interesting thought. Spike, no Slash now, had been a sentient person. Angry, possessive and jealous but sentient.

"I suppose that it's possible. The last time we ran into him, he did choose to help us out, even if he went his own way." Leo knew that when Slash had chosen them over the Newtralizer, Raph had been expecting him to come home.

Leo had been really uncomfortable with the thought of that after what Slash had done to Donnie and Mikey and maybe Slash had realized that. Maybe that's why he stayed away. Although Raph would never admit it, it had hurt when Slash decided to go solo. Maybe Leo could try and forgive Slash for Raph's sake. Lily smiled.

"Then Raph shouldn't give up on him." Leo couldn't help smiling in return. Where did all the irrational hope and optimism come from? She was as bad as Mikey.

"Maybe you're right. It's not a lost cause yet."


	59. Chapter 57: Defying Fate V

**Defying Fate V:**

April sighed as she walked, good naturedly trying to deflect her friend's probing questions. She felt guilty about Irma, the only truly normal relationship in her life. Irma wasn't a fool and knew that April was keeping secrets. She didn't like being lied to. Who did?

But April had no choice and was just grateful that Irma never gave up on her despite the endless and poorly disguised dishonesty. Well, except for moments like this when Irma determinedly pressed her.

She understood. If she'd been in Irma's situation she wouldn't be nearly so patient. But April couldn't tell her. Not without committing an even more serious betrayal and dragging her innocent friend into a world of danger. She already felt bad enough about getting Irma kidnapped by that ghost in Chinatown.

There was no going back to normal life afterwards. April knew. She'd tried. Remembering how she'd hurt her friends, how she'd hurt Donnie, when she'd done that added an extra layer to her guilt. Today kind of sucked.

Suddenly her intuition was going mad. It was always a bit on alert around Irma, no doubt a result of Irma's completely justified suspicion, but not this much. Something was definitely wrong.

Her eyes roved the buildings around them, seeking out the source of the danger. Some part of her mind was aware that Irma was becoming increasingly annoyed by her undisguised lack of attention. She could apologize later, as she always did.

Footbots! They were surrounded and the enemy was closing in fast. She shoved Irma through the gap in their rapidly closing circle and screamed at her to run. Irma understandably wanted to know what was going on, but April didn't have time for that now. She had to save herself and Irma.

Knowing the risk, she yanked out her T Phone and speed dialed Donnie. She could always count on him. Her phone had barely started to dial the number when a shruiken embedded itself in the screen killing her phone. They were on their own.

Much as she wanted to, she couldn't stand and fight. Irma couldn't defend herself and April couldn't protect her. If they stopped or even slowed down that would be the end of her innocent bystander friend.

Some part of her hoped that she hadn't been such a useless burden on the guys when she'd first met them and they'd rescued her, but she suspected she probably was. And it wasn't fair to think of Irma that way.

Irma was a normal high school kid. There was not justifiable reason she should ever need to be prepared to deal with and fend off a threat like this. Except that she'd made the mistake of befriending April O'Neil. No! She couldn't let Irma become collateral damage.

She and Irma rounded a corner to find it a dead end. Irma was sure they were about to die, but April wouldn't, no she couldn't let that happen. Without thinking, she grabbed Irma and dragged them both behind some garbage cans.

The Footbots were right on their heels, but went for the dumpster first. While they stabbed the garbage, she quietly led Irma back the way they came and around the corner. They couldn't keep running like this. Irma was already nearly spent.

Normally for the sake of her pride, she would have at least pretended that she stood a chance in this fight. To make all her effort with Master Splinter feel worthwhile. To not feel like a useless burden. She hated not being able to take care of herself. But with Irma's life on the line, she'd didn't have the luxury of that lie.

She did not have the training or the experience to take on so many skilled foes at once, by herself. They needed to flee, without the risk of being chased. They needed to go somewhere safe and they needed to go now. The Footbots would realize their error any moment. But where? Where could they go and be safe?

She caught sight of a manhole cover, one she used regularly and knew to be easy to open. The lair! She could take Irma there! She had the manhole cover open before she'd even had time to give the idea consideration.

Irma gaped at her in incredulous disbelief. Despite their near deaths, apparently the idea of descending into the sewers was the most difficult thing for her friend to accept. April didn't have time for this and started down the ladder, knowing Irma would follow, despite her reservations. She waited briefly for a disgruntled Irma to make it down the ladder.

Irma was now waiting expectantly for an explanation, but April couldn't spare a thought for anything but completing her mission to keep Irma safe. They couldn't stay here. What if the bots investigated here?

Grabbing Irma's wrist April dragged her deeper into the sewers. She tried to think of how she was going to explain this. If anyone could take the knowledge it would be Irma. The girl was relatively unflappable.

And she loved rats. She'd be entranced when she met Master Splinter and April couldn't imagine her friend ever endangering him. They'd be able to trust her. She hoped. She'd think of something to say when they arrived.

Skidding to a halt after flying through the turnstiles, she realized she was out of time. Everyone was staring at her and Irma in disbelief. She had to say something.

"Guys! I'm really sorry about this. But…Footbots were after us and Irma here is really good at keeping secrets. And umm…" Irma was sprawled on the floor beside her, scrambling for her glasses. Master Splinter's disbelief was evident as he spoke.

"April, you have brought a stranger? Here?" Say something!

"Don't worry Master Splinter! She's cool. Right Irma?" She glanced over at her friend, who had finally located her glasses and was standing up and dusting herself off before inevitably looking around and taking in her surroundings. Irma's eyes widened in disbelief as she struggled to get out the word 'turtles.'

Maybe Irma wasn't quite as unflappable as she'd believed. She was absolutely freaking out. So of course Mikey had to complete the disaster by posing, pizza slice in hand and calling out "what up dog?"

Irma tried to say 'turtles' again, but was rapidly losing the ability to speak. This was a bad idea. Maybe she should have stayed and fought the Footbots alone. Leo stepped up to try and defuse the situation before her friend had a complete breakdown.

"Miss, I know we look kinda different and all, but I promise, we're not gonna hurt you." Before he could get much further, she heard an electronic whirring noise beside her. Irma's twitching was becoming robotic and April backed away towards the turtles.

"Holy chalupa!" Mikey screamed as April watched her friend transform into a nightmarish Kraang droid that kept saying 'turtles' like an alarm. What had she done?


	60. Chapter 58: Brotherhood V

**Brotherhood V:**

Donnie wanted to scream in frustration. Why didn't Leo trust him? His turtle mech was going to work. He'd designed it perfectly. The Kraang wouldn't know what hit them. And they'd all be together and Leo wouldn't… He couldn't complete that thought.

What was his brother thinking, insisting on a second base of operations? The lair was safe and hidden and everything they needed to fight the Kraang was here. Donnie didn't want to start over somewhere else. He didn't want to divide his resources needlessly.

And what if they were separated looking for this new base? Outside the city was farther than they'd ever been. Who knew how long it would take? The invasion could start anytime and what if Leo was caught on his own? The vision… No! He wouldn't let that happen! He'd fight this. He'd protect his brother!

* * *

Leo wanted to throttle Donnie. Why wouldn't he listen? The turtle mech was barely finished and completely untested. He had faith in his brother's abilities, but he knew that things didn't always work right the first time and the more complex the invention, the greater chance of disaster.

The city was at stake. The world. They couldn't put all their eggs in one basket. They needed a second base of operations. One outside of the city. The city was the Kraang's primary target. Unthinkable as it was, the city could fall and they needed to be prepared. Ready for a counterstrike, to take back what was theirs to protect.

And given Lily's vision, part of him hoped that not being remotely in the place that she'd seen him might deflect his inevitable demise. Despite her training, she hadn't had another vision and with the Kraang's invasion imminent he admitted that he felt a bit nervous. He was right about this. Why wouldn't Donnie listen to him? Didn't he trust his leadership?

* * *

Splinter watched his sons argue, knowing that he had to let them work it out. The tension was high. At least Raphael was out looking for Miwa with Casey. There was already enough stress.

The Kraang invasion could start anytime and Leonardo was running out of time. He'd never show it, but he was beginning to panic. After losing Miwa twice, he couldn't bear to lose Leonardo too. He'd left the dojo to give Lily some space while she meditated.

It was not yet too late. She had a strange and mysterious aura about her. Not like April but they were both unique among humans. As his thoughts drifted to April, she burst into their home…with a stranger? How could she? She knew the rules! He had trusted her with his family's safety.

He fought to control his anger as April stammered to explain. His heart dropped into his stomach as April's friend morphed into a Kraang droid. They were out of time!

* * *

It was chaos. Kraang portals all around them. Kraang droids everywhere. Laser blasts scorching their home. And he was abandoning his father. Sensei said that he had a plan. That everything would be fine. He had to trust his father as he led April and his brothers to the shellraiser.

Suddenly, it was full of exploding missiles and he staggered back from the blast. He could hear Donnie scream "my baby!" The shellraiser was toast. New plan.

"Everyone follow me!" Trusting them to follow, he ran into the abandoned subway tunnel towards the sewers. They needed to get to Raph and Casey immediately. He couldn't leave them alone. Not with the invasion beginning. He had to protect his family. They paused at an intersection.

"Which way?" April cried out.

"Left! That will lead us to the turtle mech." Was Donnie still talking about that?

"No! We gotta find Raph and Casey first." They were arguing! Again! He couldn't believe it. The world was falling apart around them and here he was bickering with one brother while another was likely in mortal danger. But he couldn't seem to stop himself.

The argument ended abruptly as a Kraang portal appeared between him and Donnie and Kraang droids poured out towards his brothers and April. One of them shot Donnie down. No! He would save them! He had to. They wouldn't be separated for long. He called out to Mikey.

"Run! Take April and Donnie to safety. I'll lead them away." He ignored Mikey's protests.

"Just do it!" Slashing apart two droids and impaling their robotic skulls on his swords, he clanged them together, along with some well-timed taunts to attract the attention of the rest and disappeared into the tunnel, pulling them away from his family.

* * *

As they staggered out onto the surface, Donnie thought he might actually throw up. Why did he argue? Why didn't he listen? It was all his fault. It was the Kraang invasion and Leo was on his own. Leo's death was his doing. He did this.

"Oww! Oww! It hurts so bad." The pain in his arm was a welcome distraction from his thoughts.

"You'll be alright Donnie. I'll get you fixed up." April's comforting hands brought him a moment of relief before he overheard Mikey freaking out that Leo wasn't picking up his phone. Then the sick feeling returned.

"It's my fault. Man I shouldn't have argued with Leo. Now he's gone." He did this to his brother. His leader. What now? A sudden Kraang portal sent them fleeing for cover behind a cab. When the coast was clear, Donnie's doubts attacked him again.

"Leo was right. We should have gotten out of the city when we had the chance." Fortunately April took charge.

"Not without my dad and the others. Now come on." Without waiting for approval, she led them to her apartment.

* * *

Raph ran full speed across the rooftops, with Casey hot on his tail while the city exploded around them in blasts from Kraang laser cannons, splats of perfected mutagen and portals opening up everywhere. How could he fight this? How could anyone?

The invasion was here. Leo! He had to get to Leo! They ducked behind a cement structure and his phone went off. Mikey?

"Mikey where are you?"

"On the way to April's apartment. Meet us there dude."

"Roger that." Leo was safe. He was with his brothers and he was safe. It was going to be ok.

"Raph look out!" Casey cried out as a stealth ship appeared in front of them, chasing them across the roof with a blast of purple lightning that ended in an explosion blowing them off the roof. Well maybe it was going to be ok.

* * *

Lily sat under the tree. She could smell its bark and leaves. It was calming. Following the exercises she had been taught, she sought to focus her mind and open it. But just as she couldn't stop the visions when she felt them coming, she couldn't seem to summon them either.

What a worthless, useless ability. If she had to live with this, at least she should be able to use to save people that she cared about. She flinched as loud, violent noises intruded into her meditation. Were those screams? And explosions? It sounded like everything was breaking.

She wanted to run out there and help. Help? How? What could she do besides distract them with the need to protect her? Swallowing her bitterness, she crawled to Master Splinter's room and slid the door shut, trying to be quiet. Useless.

Then vision hit her out of nowhere. She hadn't been expecting it and was so caught up in the chaos around her that she hadn't even felt it coming. The battle faded away as she slipped into Leo's mind in the near future.

It was the same vision as before, but earlier. She didn't have to share Leo's focus. At least her mental training had given her the ability to keep her own mind separate from that of her host.

 _It was before the battle. Where was he? Don't worry about his enemies. Worry about his location! A construction site? She hadn't seen that before. A series of flips amidst flying robot parts made her momentarily dizzy. How many of these things had he fought before the real battle last time? Good lord it was overwhelming._

 _Focus! Was Leo taunting the Shredder? What was wrong with him? Ahh! More enemies! Not her fight! Focus! Where were they? Finally! A sign. She had a location. Yes! She could stop this. Maybe. It felt so close. So soon._

 _Oww! They were slammed through a wall and she was momentarily disoriented again as the battle continued. So many enemies. How could he keep track of all of them? She had to pull herself from the fight. Her thoughts weren't helping. It was too fast to follow and she could learn more relevant details by diverting her mind elsewhere._

 _Suddenly they were falling, tumbling down a dirt incline, bouncing painfully until splash! The water was frigid and it took their breath away. This was a whole new level of pain, making the fall seem insignificant. Must get out!_

 _Somehow, he found the strength to climb out. She didn't think she could have done it. The icy air and frigid snowflakes burned, slowing them down. They weren't meant to be so cold. Sluggish. He barely staggered to his feet. Crap! Where were Leo's swords? He hadn't lost his weapons this early before. Why?_

 _A sudden horrible realization hit her. She wasn't a passive passenger anymore. She was an active participant now. Somehow she was affecting a future that hadn't happened yet. And she was distracting him. She was interfering and he was losing._

 _No! She drew back into herself as tightly as possible. Trying not to dwell on how the monsters attacking, were beating on him, hurting him. No! Dammit! Fight! Her mind screamed into his and suddenly his body was flooded with adrenaline that drove away the cold._

 _Watching in awe as, unarmed, he took down the sequence of nightmarish monsters that had attacked him. A robotic fish monster, Fish Face, Xever. A skeletal werewolf, Rahzar, Dogpound, Bradford. A tiger bounty hunter, Tiger Claw. But there was still the metal man. The Shredder._

 _They turned in time to see his clawed weapon come down on them. Tekkou-kagi Leo's mind supplied as it tore into his flesh. He was going to die!_ _No! She would not let that happen._

 _Applying all the training she had received, she sent herself into the Shredder's mind and was momentarily disoriented by the intense, overpowering rage and hatred spread over a deeper layer of self-loathing and disturbing exultation over the ruination of the world. Let it flow past. Not yours. Let it go._

 _He was ready to torture and kill Leo. Just as he had in her first vision, when Leo had been at his mercy. If she could influence the future for Leo then she could do it for the Shredder too. Take that hatred and that bizarre sense of drama and use it._

 _Killing him now, like this. It wasn't enough. All four of them. They needed to die together. The others needed to see the state of this freak and know their fate. Suddenly its phone rang. Tiger Claw examined it._

 _"They wait for him in the girl's home." Yes!_ _They would show them this near corpse and wipe them all out at once. Leaving Splinter nothing but his grief and misery before he ended him. That's how he would do it._

 _"Bait them out! Destroy them." She felt sick plotting the demise of Leo and his brothers, but any time she could buy him was precious._ _And this monster was enough of a megalomaniac that he was easy to encourage. Now, she just needed to make sure that she hadn't doomed them all._ The vision was slipping away. That's fine. There was nothing more she could do there.

* * *

Splinter's body ached. The battle for his home had been more intense than he'd thought possible. But without having to worry about his children's safety, he'd been able to fight them off. As long as his boys were together. Everything would be fine. He hoped.

Reflected light from his burning home caught his gaze and he found himself staring at a family photograph of his sons. He picked it up, mindful of the cracked glass. His boys. Lost amid an alien invasion. Maybe he shouldn't have sent them away.

"Sensei!" He looked up to see Lily staggering out of the dojo. She tripped on the skull of a Kraang droid and began to tumble down the steps. Quick as thought, he was there to catch her.

"It's happening now!"

"Yes, child the invasion…"

"No, Leo's fight. It's minutes away at most!" His breath caught. Leonardo.

"I know where he is."

* * *

Leo couldn't fight the nagging suspicion that he was being herded. The Kraang had mentioned capturing him and his brothers for the Shredder. And since he'd surfaced, he'd been hounded by Footbots whose aim was their projectile weapons was just a little bit off. He hadn't ended up in this construction sight full of Footbots by accident.

Forty seven missed calls from Mikey. He should…more Footbots! Gotta move. Suddenly he was filled with a surreal sensation that he was not alone. He fought, but not as well as he could have as it tugged on his attention, distracting him from battle. What was in his head?

"Fire!" Turning towards the familiar voice, he saw the Shredding standing atop a nearby building with his mutant minions and a several bow and arrow wielding Footbots, firing arrows at him. The Shredder. He was alone, during the Kraang invasion, facing the Shredder. The vision.

"Oh no."

* * *

Splinter raced ahead. He knew that Leatherhead was lumbering on behind him, but he couldn't wait. Leonardo's life was at stake.

He'd been grateful for the timely appearance of the mutant alligator to mow through the Kraang droids in the sewers that had been slowing him down. Leatherhead knew where he was going. He'd catch up eventually.

Finally! He was at the construction site. Leonardo's sword was impaled in a Footbot. But where was Leonardo? Slinter wasn't alone. Straightening up, he saw the Shredder come out from behind a wooden wall.

"Where is my son?"

"I take him like I took your child so many years ago." No! No more holding back. He needed to end this.

* * *

Raph stood, stunned, in April's apartment as Mikey clamped onto him. In any other circumstances, he would have clobbered his affectionate little brother. He didn't do hugs. But for once it was comforting and he needed that as much as Mikey right now.

"Aww, I missed you too little brother." After facing off with Kraang Prime before the military showed up to save their shells, metaphorically in Casey's case, he didn't think he'd ever see his family again. But they were all here and safe for the moment.

"Not to break this up, but Leo is still out there." Donnie's words pierced his thoughts and he angrily shoved Mikey away.

"What!?" Mikey was saying something, but he blocked him out. Leo was out there alone? During the Kraang invasion? The vision! Leo was going to die! How could they leave him?

Before he could shake Donnie until his shell fell off, the window smashed open and Leo's unconscious body flew into the room skidding across April's floor. He stared down at his big brother with a mixture of horror at his condition and relief that he wasn't dead. No matter what was wrong, as long as Leo was alive, they could fix it.

* * *

After Splinter raced off with her instructions, Lily had struggled her way to the couch and sat among the rubble, wondering what she was going to do now. All she could do was sit and replay the vision in her head. Somehow believing in her visions without any doubts at all made it worse. Even in a best case scenario, Leo was hurt. Badly. Had she saved him? Was it enough?

She didn't know how long she sat there, he mind running in circles, before she could hear voices. Friend or foe? What could she do if it was a foe? It didn't matter. Giving up wasn't an option. She stood and braced herself. Turned out it was a good thing as Mikey nearly tackled her with a hug.

"Lily! You're ok!"

"Yeah Mikey. Leo…" Her friend whimpered.

"He's alive. D said we shouldn't move him. Casey's with him." She nodded. She could hear Don further away, instructing everyone to select personal items to take with them. She didn't have any, so she let Mikey lead her to the kitchen where he packed up Ice Cream Kitty.

There was still something that unnerved her about having an edible friend, but she was warming up to him. Hmmm, maybe that was a bad choice of words. April cried out and Mikey ran out to her, leaving Lily in the kitchen, holding Ice Cream Kitty's cooler. Were they being attacked? Was everything alright?

Suddenly, he was back again with a hand around her wrist before she could instinctively pull away.

"April knows where Sensei is. We have to go."

* * *

Raph watched in disbelief. This wasn't happening. It wasn't real. Sensei had won. How could this be happening?

He was screaming and his body was pounding uselessly on the unyielding metal bars as Shredder, bruised and wounded had carried the limp body of his father to the draining pit of water. He was powerless to do anything as that monster tossed his Sensei, his father, in and walked away like it didn't even matter.

He knew he was wild. That he wasn't making sense and his brothers were trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear it. Leo…Sensei…it was too much. Suddenly Mikey was there, grappling him. No, not grappling him. At least not entirely. He was hugging him, promising that it was going to be ok.

Yeah. Sensei was strong. A grandmaster of ninjutsu. Mikey was right. This wasn't enough to take him out. Father would be ok. For the second time today, he allowed Mikey to comfort him. This must be some kind of a record. Or the worst day ever. Or both.

The red haze dissipated from his eyes and he could see again. April was looking up at Donnie in fierce determination. She'd lost her father today too.

"We are not running Donnie. We're gonna put an end to this." That's right. They were going to finish this.

* * *

Lily sat curled up behind a couple of garbage cans, alone and waiting. If she'd thought being carried to the meet up location in the claw of Don's turtle mech was terrifying, this was much worse. She was helpless and alone listening to the screams and explosions that surrounded her. It was nightmare. A vehicle screeched to a halt nearby. Ally or enemy? She wished she could see.

"Anyone here?" Casey? She let out a sigh of relief and stood up.

"I'm here, but I'll need help getting to you."

"No problem! Casey Jones has got it covered." Despite everything, she smiled a little. He was the first person she'd ever met with such a tendency to refer to himself in the third person.

His heavily gloved hands grasped her shoulders and guided her forward, veering her around most the debris, but still tripping her over enough of it. At least he warned her about the step up into the…did he call it the party wagon?

He made sure she was buckled in against the wall. Not that she had a lot of experience with vehicles, but she was pretty sure these seat belts were jury-rigged. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret this.

"So where's everyone else?" Casey's voice broke into her ruminations on vehicular death.

"Off to battle in Don's giant turtle mech."

"What? Without me! How could they? Where?"

"They kept talking about the Shredder's hideout, wherever that is." The words were out of her mouth before she could catch them. Uh oh.

"Hang on then. We're crashing this party."

* * *

April backed away as Kraang Prime approached. What were they going to do? They'd just fried the turtle mech hitting this thing with the entire electrical power of New York City. And it wasn't down. They were screwed.

Gathering all her fear and panic, she threw it at Kraang Prime, stunning it and frying her. That was her one and only blast and Kraang Prime was already starting to shake it off.

"This is so metal!" Out of nowhere came the party wagon, ramming into Kraang Prime, sending it flying, and skidding to halt in front of her. Casey leaned out the driver side window and gave her a wicked grin that made her stomach flip.

"You guys need a lift?" They all piled into the van and he veered off, obviously with no particular destination beyond away. She could hear Donnie apologizing to Leo's unconscious body in the back of the van. They needed somewhere to recover.

"I have a place we can go in Northampton. My old family home. We used to go there every summer." Looking for her mom before her dad couldn't take it anymore.

"We can stay as long as we want. No one's around for miles." Another smile and a stomach flip.

"Northampton huh? Sounds good to Casey Jones." Their mission had been a disaster. They'd failed to collect Splinter and the city was lost. Maybe Casey had fared better.

"Did you find your dad and little sister?"

"No sign of them. Probably got Kraangatized." Her heart sank. He still wore his usual bravado, but she could see the pain underneath. She didn't know what to say. Because there wasn't anything to say. So she just hugged him, careful not to interfere with his driving. At least she could offer some refuge from the storm.


	61. Chapter 59: Lost III

**Lost III:**

She swam deeper and deeper. She had to get away from all the noise. It was too much. It chased her. She had to get away.

What was that? A familiar scent. Something precious. Something to protect. She followed the scent to its source. Must protect. Grasping the bundle in her awkward arms, she raced for the surface. Not much time. Bursting out of the water she laid the bundle on the ground. It didn't move. Was she too late?

Gently, she nudged it with her snout. It let out a wet cough and began breathing. Not too late. The urge to attack and devour it warred with her desire to protect. She couldn't stay here. Not safe.

As she disappeared beneath the surface of the water, one word echoed through her mind like a bright sun in a world of darkness before fading away leaving only an afterimage of the memory. Father.


	62. Chapter 60: To Trust III

**To Trust III:**

Umeko fought to keep her rage under control as she comforted and consoled those of her people that were locked in the same large cell as her and worried over the ones locked elsewhere.

This was her fault. She had been the one to trust Alopex, handing her all their secrets though she knew better. She had betrayed her people as much as Alopex had betrayed her and now they were captives. Fed and unhurt, but not free.

What did these people even want with them? They couldn't be that much of a curiosity if Alopex was their servant, so what did they want? She ground her teeth at the thought of Alopex and the rage welled in her mind. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing to will it away. Anger would blind and control her, risking her people's lives. It was a dangerous ally that could cost them all. She had to keep it at bay.

A door opened behind her and she reached for her swords instinctively as her people cowered behind her, momentarily forgetting the humiliation of being disarmed. A human woman wearing a kimono and fox mask entered the room, flanked by shinobi with a red and black foot symbol on their foreheads.

Umeko stood proudly before the woman unwilling to flinch, ready to attack with or without her weapons. The woman was undaunted.

"That would be unfortunate for the…'people' under your protection." Umeko eyed the shinobi and saw them all with kunai, ready to strike down her defenseless villagers if she made a move. Swallowing her pride, she relaxed her stance in defeat.

"That's better. Unlike the rest, you seem to be a skilled warrior. What is your name?" Umeko sneered.

"Your traitor didn't tell you?" She laughed.

"I wouldn't call Alopex a traitor as she is loyal to me and always has been. But no. In her report, she simply referred to you as 'the samurai' although it seems a bit untraditional." Umeko just glared, refusing to give this woman the satisfaction that she knew she was unorthodox and that it bothered her.

"Call me what you want. You are unworthy of my true name." She shrugged off Umeko's insult.

"Very well. It doesn't really matter. Curiosity, nothing more. Your code name while working for us will be Ninjara." The name was obviously meant to insult her as she was samurai, not shinobi, but that wasn't what struck her.

"Working for you?"

"Yes. We have a rather large number of hostages. We can afford to slay a few right now to show you how serious we are. Their lives depend on your cooperation."

"And you think life in this prison is living!"

"Well, if you're certain you can never outmaneuver us and free them, then we can kill you all now. I have no use for such a defeatist." Umeko stilled. Could she condemn them all to certain death? True this was not life, but could she free them in the future? Was it possible? Was her pride worth the loss of that possibility?

No. It was her duty to protect them. Somehow, someway, she would see her people free. Gritting her teeth and ignoring the clenching sensation in her gut, she knelt before the woman.

"As you command."


	63. Chapter 61: Huntress III

**Huntress III:**

Alopex had never felt so out of sorts. Earning Umeko's trust and betraying her, even for the sake of her clan, ate at her. She'd hoped reconnecting with Karai would offer her some solace, but Karai was serving her father, the Shredder, in New York right now and the city was under a mysterious lock down. How long would they have to be apart now?

With no missions pending and her true sister away, she'd been restless. Not even beating her fellow Foot soldiers in the dojo under the guise of training had failed to relieve her frustration.

So with an excess of free time and no one paying her much mind, she'd used her rank to commandeer a private plane and planned a trip to Alaska. Now thousands of feet in the air and closing on a private airstrip, just outside of Fairbanks, she wondered if this had been a good idea.

The closer she got to home, the edgier she felt. Her pack wouldn't know her. The forest wouldn't know her. Nothing would be the same. She wouldn't belong anymore. But to at least lay eyes on it once more. She'd never had a chance to say goodbye before. Perhaps this closure would give her some peace.

The plane landed and she exited, leaving the pilot to his own devices. Breathing in the familiar air, she took off running towards the Tanana Valley. Some of her trepidation gave way to the exhilaration of running these lands again. It brought back a rush of memories and she lost herself in them as she ran.

But it didn't last. The closer she got, the more wrong the smells seemed. They were somehow off. Not right. Something was amiss. She should be able to see the edge of the wood by now. Shouldn't she?

Cresting the final hill, she stopped short. The forest was gone. Nothing but a burnt crater with a few years of new growth to bring the promise that nature would reclaim what it had lost in time. A forest fire? It must have been. What else could cause such complete devastation?

Her home was gone forever. What came back would be new, different. Her entire past was well and truly lost to her now. Falling to her knees in the ashen ground, she fought not to cry. She refused. It was a pathetic, weak human behavior and she would not submit to it.

Running her fingers through the dirt, she touched something that hadn't been claimed by the fire. A tooth? A polar bear tooth. She recalled her old nemesis. He must have died in the fire too, along with everything else. How she had hated him.

But that hatred seemed so distant now. They'd both been a part of the same lost world. Clutching the tooth to her chest, she forced herself to stand and began trudging back towards the plane.


	64. Chapter 62: To Overcome V

**To Overcome V:**

Lisa tested her chains again in frustration, already knowing that she couldn't possibly break them. But it wasn't in her nature to admit defeat, so she kept at it. Although this situation was leaning towards the insanely impossible.

She was manacled to a solid concrete wall in what looked like a giant terrarium. How does something like this even happen to a person? Maybe she was in a coma, having a very strange dream. Sad that she'd been reduced to hoping that was the case.

On either side of her were sets of empty manacles and in the corner cowered her tankmate. They were well out of reach of each other. All the manacles were actually, the point seeming to be to keep the inmates from interacting. Not that it would have done her any good.

The girl looked to be about thirteen and an obvious runaway. Lisa didn't know how long she'd been here, but it was at least as long as Lisa as she'd been chained in that corner when Lisa had awoken in this hell. The poor kid was clearly traumatized and hadn't spoken a word. Nothing Lisa said or did could coax the child to talk.

And when the black pajama guards showed up with their bland tins of food and water, they had to force the girl to eat or she would have starved herself. Lisa had long ago lost track of time in this prison, illuminated only by fluorescent light, but it might have been long enough to starve to death.

She, on the other hand, voluntarily ate every bite. She needed her strength because when the opportunity presented itself, she would make a break for freedom. And when her parents and uncle had found out what Filtch had done, he'd wish that he'd never been born. Nobody messed with her family.

At least she'd been going on a camping trip when she'd been abducted. The rugged clothing, though difficult to maneuver with her manacles when she needed to use the waste bucket they'd left for each of them, offered a lot more comfort and protection than any of her preferred fancy dresses or designer shoes would have. That and nothing made by Vera Wang or Jimmy Choo deserved to be in such a foul place.

In the neighboring terrariums, she could see other prisoners. As far as she could tell, she was the only one who didn't look homeless, so whoever they were, attention was not something they wanted to draw. Abducting her would have been very dangerous. Except that everyone would be looking for her in the wrong place and probably thought that she'd died in the wilderness. Damn.

She could see Filtch working at one of the console stations out in the middle of the laboratory and glared at him, but he ignored as he had since he'd ordered her brought here. A buzzing sound quickly caused her to close her eyes and turn away.

She always felt horrified and sick whenever the fly man came into view. Whatever the monster was, it appeared to be working with Filtch. She still hadn't figured out what they were doing. Why she and the others were being held here.

Hearing the door, her eyes snapped open again. It wasn't feeding time or bucket changing time yet. Why were the guards here? Her tank mate screamed in horror and began to thrash violently as they approached her. Was the poor kid trying to kill herself?

The guards, barely reacted as they subdued and unchained her, dragging her panicked form out of the cell. Other prisoners were being dragged forward. A homeless man and… She gasped. Diane Mason? They'd gotten her mentor too? What the hell?

Oh no. They must have taken Diane so she wouldn't ask about Lisa. Tying up loose ends. This was because of her. Lisa wanted to cry, but refused to allow it. If she started now, she'd never stop and would be a useless mess when the time came to escape.

All three were hauled up some steps to a donut shaped platform that stood above a huge, spherical glass container of some glowing greenish blue fluid. Filtch handed the fly man a small orange vial and he flew up to the container and injected through an apparatus near the top.

"Beeegggiiiin." They fly's buzzing voice made her shudder. The guards shoved all three victims over the edge and into the vat. Lisa couldn't make a sound as she watched their wracked silhouettes break and contort, splitting open and becoming something unnatural.

Filtch pressed a button and the vat drained onto a grate below, letting the fluid seep away, straining out the victims. The guards moved in to restrain them. As they were enormous ant-like monsters now, that was quite the task and some guards weren't quick enough before thrashing mandibles relieved them of their heads, but in the end, they were all restrained once more.

That was how Lisa discovered her guards were some kind of robot. No wonder the mace hadn't worked the night she was captured. She'd wondered if it had anything to do with the masks they wore. Now she knew. And why was she even thinking about this?

Obviously to avoid thinking about the horrific fate of her friend and mentor. She couldn't help but shudder. Both the fly man and Filtch backed away in fear as someone new entered the lab. Was he a tiger? Dressed like he was fighting in some South American guerilla war? This couldn't be happening. None of it. It couldn't be real.

"The Master desires a progress update on the experiments." The fly man seemed broken, shrinking into itself. Filtch looked like he wanted to do the same, but didn't dare to be silent when questioned.

"Well. Although there are always individual variations as the mutagen is highly unstable, we have created several customized strains that should yield powerful soldiers for the Master's army. It might take a few 'volunteers' to get the optimal combination for each customized mutagen strain, but that shouldn't be a problem. We were just about to test the advantages and limitations of the custom insect mutagen." Recalling his thrashing, screaming test subjects, he signaled the guards.

"Take them to the testing lab." The tiger nodded as the mutant ants were wheeled out of the room.

"The Master will be pleased. How is the progress on the other project?"

"The mind control? Well, we're having some difficulties with…"

"So you've made no progress at all then?" The tiger's voice was low and threatening.

"I wouldn't say no progress…"

"What good will this mutant army be to the Master without a reliable way to control them?" The fly stepped forward.

"The Kraangzzz have devizzzezzz that can controlzzz mindzzz."

"Silence!" The tiger was quivering with rage now.

"Do you take the Master for a fool?" The fly shrank back again.

"The alliance we have is one of convenience that will end when the Master has what he needs from them. The Kraang are conquering our world. The invasion is already in full swing. Time is running out and we must be ready to turn on them when the moment is right. We cannot trust their technology to control the minds our soldiers. Find a new way and soon. Or the consequences will be most unpleasant."


	65. Chapter 63: Loyalty and Honor I

**Loyalty and Honor I:**

Dirk found A. J. pacing in agitation in his study. He'd rushed over as soon as he'd gotten the call, taking no time personal time to recover from his last mission. A. J. needed him. Everything else could wait. A. J.'s perturbed expression quirked into a smile upon seeing him.

"What's wrong? You said it was urgent." The smile faded.

"My nieces have been abducted and the authorities are useless."

"Lisa and Lily are missing? When? How?" A. J. raised his hand.

"My sister lost Lily at that nature preserve she likes to go to months ago. There hasn't been a trace, according to the police. I've put some more competent people on that. Apparently she hitch hiked to New York City and disappeared upon arriving. I haven't given up, but the search is on hold as the city is not currently accessible."

Dirk had heard about New York's 'alien invasion' but refused to believe it, especially after their little alien mass hysteria incident months ago. He didn't know exactly why they'd cut themselves off, but could come up with several more likely explanations that didn't come out of an H. G. Wells novel.

"What about Lisa?"

"She was interning at my New York R&D firm, but she shouldn't be there. She was supposed to be taking a camping trip with a colleague, but there's no trace of either of them. They could be isolated incidents, but I have a lot of enemies. It could all be connected. I need you to find Lisa for me." Dirk nodded solemnly. He was owed some leave and he would not fail his friend.

"I have her trip itinerary here." He took the file.

"You can trust me with this. I will bring her back and I will find out why she went missing. I promise."


	66. Chapter 64: Brotherhood VI

**Brotherhood VI:**

April sat at the kitchen table sketching. It had been a long time since she'd drawn. She'd forgotten how much she'd liked it. And, not to sound arrogant, how good she was at it. She'd started doodling in the copious journals that she'd kept over the winter and remembered.

It had been a long and honestly miserable winter. Now that the cold had finally broken, she was willing to let spring make her feel hopeful. They'd left the city a few weeks before Christmas and it was now the end of March and Leo still hadn't woken up.

He'd spent his coma in the upstairs bathtub under Raph's constant vigil. Donnie had set up a lab in the barn out back. Mikey helped her prepare meals and managed a surprising amount of miscellaneous chores, despite his excessive goofing off.

After memorizing the house, Lily had proved more adept at cleaning it than April had given her credit for. Although that might have been April's fault for not giving her enough credit in the first place.

Casey had been surprisingly useful repairing the decrepit remains of her old family home, when he wasn't in Donnie's 'lab' trying to resurrect an ancient truck that he assured them was salvageable, much to April's doubt.

Casey. What was she going to do about that? She knew she'd been dodging his attentions and shutting down any trace of affection with an almost single-minded intensity. There was no way he hadn't noticed. But she couldn't deal with her growing attraction right now. Not with everything that had happened in New York.

Why did it have to be him of all people? He was so insufferably brash and arrogant and stubborn and reckless and…none of that seemed to matter. She didn't get to choose how she felt.

But she could choose what she did about it and right now she chose to stuff it down and ignore it. She just couldn't handle it right now. Not with the mess that everything was. Not with how things stood with Donnie. What was she going to do about that? Nothing. Can't deal with it now. Ignore it.

Time for a new line of thought. The weather maybe? It was good that spring was here. Being cooped up inside with nothing but ninja conditioning and reruns of Crognard the Barbarian had been taxing.

There wasn't much she could do about Crognard, now that Mikey had discovered him, but at least now that they could spar outdoors, some of that pent up frustration over their loss could finally be burned off.

Also, the emergency cash her dad had left here was beginning to dwindle and it would help if they could forage a little or try growing some food. Mikey got eggs from the chickens that he cared for, sort of, but they couldn't produce enough to feed them all without some sort of other food source, even if they weren't using a good portion to make more smoke bombs.

She smiled at the memory of buying them. She and Casey had come back after a food run and were laughing about some nut's roadside sign offering chickens for sale in the middle of winter. Mikey had overheard them and wouldn't let the matter drop until they'd gone back and bought them. She would have thought those chickens would have been Mikey's babies, but the relationship resembled something closer to frenemies.

There was something about Mikey that made the horror of Leo's injuries and the loss of their homes and families somehow bearable. He might seem like a goofball, but he did carry a feeling of joy around with him that infected anyone he was with. She'd try not to take that for granted in the future.

He might not be able to pry Raph away from Leo for anything other than training, but he could get him to eat and she knew that he'd been to Donnie's 'lab' because the genius would be inspired to set his work aside and come hang out with her and Casey for some much needed R&R. Subtle things, but important nonetheless.

The freezer door opened and she jumped. Some kunoichi. Lily crooned to Ice Cream Kitty affectionately as she petted him then licked the ice cream off her fingers before shutting the door and sitting down. That was another friendship formed over the winter, although it had taken considerable coaxing on Mikey's part.

"Hey Lily."

"Hey April. It's not time for lunch yet." April was still amazed at Lily's time awareness, but probably shouldn't be. She didn't give Lily enough credit.

"No, I'm just drawing." Lily perked up.

"Really? What of?" Why would Lily care about drawings? It's not as though she could appreciate them. She immediately felt bad about the thought. Her silence must have revealed her thoughts to Lily.

"I know it sounds strange, but I've always like the idea of art. I've seen a little through other people's eyes and there is some that I can get a sense of by touch. I just wish…"

"No, I think I get it. Mostly I'm just drawing pictures of everyone. You know, memories of everyday life here. I've got one of Raph sitting with Leo and another of Mikey feeding the chickens and this is a group one of all of us."

Seeing the longing in Lily's expression, she took her hand, ignoring Lily's instinctive flinch at the physical contact, and touched her fingers to each person in the picture, identifying them by name and describing their poses. This picture was less memory and more a collage of how she imagined each of them in general. Lily smiled as April brought the drawing alive to her.

"Thanks. I know it sounds silly, but it means a lot to me." After a moment's hesitation, April tore the page free of her sketchbook.

"Why don't you keep this one?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Keep it and remember it."

"Thank you April."

* * *

Lily tapped the stick Mikey had gotten for her to replace her cane as she navigated down the front porch steps. The fresh spring air filled her lungs. Being cooped up inside throughout the winter, except for when she could convince Mikey to take her walking outside despite the poor footing in the snow, had been hard.

As the snow melted, turning the farm into mud, she still had a little trouble convincing him, but he generally caved in the end. Mikey was not inherently responsible. Being raised in a metropolitan city infrastructure, he was also not a huge fan of nature, being a bit outside his comfort zone here, but she could usually manage to get him take her out into the woods at least once a week since the thaw started.

She had a decent sense of the grounds now, but she wasn't foolish enough to venture into the woods unaccompanied. Having escaped the porch, she decided to make a circuit of the property.

Around the corner to the back, she could hear Casey up on the roof, hammering on the loose shingles that he'd promised April he'd fix. Further on was the barn.

Listening closely, she could hear Don talking to himself as he worked, although she'd didn't know the meaning of most of the words as they were a blend of science jargon and Japanese. He and Leo had seemed most inclined to use their father's first language, although they were polite enough to only speak English around her, April and Casey.

She neared the chicken coop and could hear them squabbling amongst themselves in the chicken speak of bucks and pecking. They only ever united when Mikey came to feed them. She probably shouldn't be so amused by his shrieks as they chased him, but the thought of it always brought a smile to her face.

She knew that everyone was sad and hurting, especially Leo. She couldn't think of him without a crushing sense of failure. But she was truly happy to be here. This isolated world in the woods with friends, dear as family, felt like something she'd been searching for her whole life.

Traitorous as it felt to be so happy, she couldn't help but believe these past few months had been the highlight of her life. She didn't want to think about the future when she'd eventually have to return…home, if that was the right word for it.

But she would return. For Lisa. They had a plan and she wouldn't bail on her. Lisa's name brought another stab of guilt through her heart. She must be worried sick over Lily. Everyone must think that she was dead somewhere.

She'd been afraid to try and contact Lisa before the invasion out of fear of being discovered and made to return before she knew Leo was safe. Now there was simply no way to contact anyone. Lisa was going to kill her when she got back, but she didn't regret it. She couldn't.

Lily paused in her walking. Was someone humming the tune to 'Happy Birthday?' She followed it to its source.

"Mikey?" He stopped humming.

"Hey Lily! 'Sup?" Using her stick, she determined that he was seated on…a log maybe and maneuvered herself to sit beside him. Mikey was good company and always managed to chase the guilt and dark thoughts away.

"Not much. Just walking. Why are you humming 'Happy Birthday,' assuming there is a reason?" He sighed.

"Well, cuz it kind of is my birthday, or mutation day as we call it."

"What?"

"Well we don't know when we were actually born, so we just sort of count it from the day we were mutated. It's kind of like being born, right?" She smiled.

"I suppose, but I was more expressing surprise that it's your birthday and no one said anything. How old are you?"

"Sixteen daaawwg!" He announced it proudly and her brow furrowed.

"Wouldn't that make you the same age as Leo, I thought he was the oldest?"

"Ah, well, he is, but not by much. A few hours or a day at most, according to D."

"Wait, you're quadruplets?" He laughed.

"Never thought of it way. I guess so. I think it's a turtle thing. Like how cats have a bunch of babies all at once." Was that how it worked for turtles? She still didn't know much about them.

"So, it's everyone's sixteenth birthday today? I mean besides me, April and Casey."

"Yup, but I don't think my brothers feel like celebrating right now, you know with Leo still…sleeping. So I thought I'd celebrate by myself a bit. Not that I mind the company." She shook her head.

"I wish you'd said something earlier. I don't have anything to give you." Or did she? April's drawing was tucked in her waistband.

"Ah, don't worry about it. We can go on another shopping spree when we get home and everything's back to normal." His optimism both cheered and saddened her. For his sake she really hoped it worked out that way for him.

"Deal, but I do have something I can give now." She withdrew the picture, unfolded it and handed it to him.

"April drew it and gave it to me. I'd like you to have it. Happy birthday Mikey." He took it from her and gasped.

"This. Is. Amaze-balls!" While he examined it, she did something that she was normally way too self-conscious to consider, but she was comfortable enough with Mikey that she felt safe from judgement and criticism. She sang 'Happy Birthday' to him.

Lisa had told her that she had a lovely voice, but for reasons not entirely clear to her, she was paranoid about seeming ridiculous when she sang and wasn't typically comfortable enough with it to try it even in groups. The last note of the song faded away.

"Wow." Feeling shy, she turned away from him a bit.

"Best birthday gift evah!" She felt his fingers brush hers, presumably to draw her into another ambush hug, but she reacted without thinking, snatching her hand away and ruining the moment.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" All the happiness was gone from his voice and she felt equally miserable.

"Mikey, I…"

"No, it's cool. I know that we're different and that…"

"No. It isn't that. It's…that place I was in." She still couldn't bring herself to think of the mental institution by name.

"I was there for years and there were rules about…patients not touching each other. At all. It's kind of an ingrained habit now. It's not you." She'd almost said inmates instead of patients. That was telling.

"Really?" She nodded.

"I'm not really used to physical contact. Sorry if I freaked out."

"So you don't mind the whole turtle thing?"

"Honestly, I don't really have any clue what you guys look like, since I don't even know what normal turtles look like. You're mostly a bunch of personalities attached to disembodied voices."

"Woah. How can you not know what turtles look like? I mean besides the whole not being able to see thing?" Her own laughter surprised her. Mikey was kind of blunt about her blindness and it was refreshing after the way everyone else awkwardly avoided it while coddling her.

"Well, I've only had some general description in school and have never had the opportunity to hold one. I kind of see with my hands."

"Oh. Well I'm a turtle. You can see me. Then you'll know what we look like."

"Really? It's ok?"

"Totally." She held out her hand and he placed his in hers. His skin was scaly but soft around his wraps, except where it was calloused from his training. He had a thumb and only two very large fingers, as opposed to her slender more numerous digits.

"Oh! I can introduce you to all six of my toes!" Suddenly his hand was gone and a heavy leg plopped into her lap. Six, not ten? Well, it matched his fingers.

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by peels of shaking laughter as she traced her fingers over his large round foot, with yes, three toes. Guess he was ticklish.

He stilled as she moved up to his calf, noting that it was different from hers, almost like a dog or a cat in that in angled back to what would have been a joint, then followed a more human model up to and above the knee.

She didn't go much further. Mikey was the likely the only one of his brothers laid back enough to let her try this and she didn't want to blow the opportunity by freaking him out or making things awkward. He was already more motionless than she suspected he'd ever been in his life while awake.

Some flailing about earned her his shoulder. He did have a shell, like Spike in her vision of Raph. Well not exactly like it. Spike's shell was enormous and clunky, whereas Mikey's was smaller and more streamlined relative to the rest of his body. She could feel that it was full of dents, dings and gashes.

"Can you feel it when I touch your shell?"

"Umm, not like skin, but I know you're touching it." He sounded a little hoarse. So maybe it was like a big fingernail then. No nerves, but it was still attached, so the pressure informed the nerves deeper in.

The part of his shell on his chest was different than his back. It was still a kind of armor, but less solid, more leathery and yielding and likewise full of battle scars. That made her kind of sad. Mikey seemed too cheerful and sweet to have been so banged up.

The two shells seemed connected at his sided by striations of cartilage with skin in between. When she touched his skin, he doubled over laughing so hard he fell off the log. When she reached out to find him, she almost screamed. Where were his arms and legs and head? She could still hear him chortling.

"Mikey?"

"Sorry. Ticklish. I guess I retracted into my shell. Give me a minute and I'll be back out."

"You can do that? That's amazing." She wasn't sure how to describe the sensation of his reemerging arms.

"Like a turtle do." Shock dissipating, she forged on, moving her hand across his shoulder as he sat in front of her. Now she understood how Raph had avoided getting injured in her vision all those years ago. He giggled a little when she got to his neck, but managed to keep it together.

His head was smooth and round. And his face was wide with a large mouth and puffy cheeks. He didn't have nose per say, but his face did come to a bit of a point where one would have been. And he did have nostrils as he snorted a bit when she found them.

There was a piece of fabric over his eyes, although she could feel the edges of the eye holes. Tracing it around his head to the back, she found the knot that tied it and began working it loose. He started a bit when she did that, but didn't protest or try to stop her. The fabric slipped free and she went back to examining his face unhindered.

She was concentrating very hard, trying to memorize every detail to construct a sense of his appearance. She wondered if she should ask him to make some facial expressions, so that she could try to visualize them as they interacted later.

"So, uh, lunch is ready." At the sound of April's voice, Mikey leapt up with a yelp sending Lily sprawling backwards over the log with a shriek.

* * *

Mikey's full attention was on Lily's hands and the look of wonder and concentration on her face. After impulsively agreeing to this he'd had second thoughts. That she might scream or panic once she knew what he really looked like, but she seemed fascinated.

And also, maybe because he wasn't entirely certain it was mutation day. It wasn't like he had a calendar or had much confidence in successfully using one if he did. He'd totally have to check with D about that later.

It also occurred to him during this procedure that although he hugged people a lot, mostly unwilling or so they pretended, he'd never really been touched much. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was a little nerve wracking.

He wasn't sure what to do, so he just tried holding still, which took a considerable amount of effort and failed miserably as he discovered that he was ticklish. Who knew? He wondered if his brothers were ticklish. Something to discover perhaps. Raph might kill him, but it would be worth it to see him pop into his shell laughing. He'd have to make that as public as possible for full appreciation.

He had a moment of panic when she untied his bandana, feeling oddly exposed. Which was kind of silly, since that was the point. Still it seemed like the orange piece of cloth was a part him and he wasn't completely himself without it. He closed his eyes as she studied his face with her hands, trying to be as still as possible, but it was hard not to squirm.

"So, uh, lunch is ready." His eyes snapped open at the sound of April's voice to see her watching in poorly disguised amusement. He hadn't even heard her approach. Worst ninja ever.

Before he could think, which is how he did most things, he launched himself to his feet, looking around frantically for his bandana before realizing that he'd sent Lily sprawling. Oops. Worst ninja ever.

At least he had his reflexes. He'd instinctively reached out to catch her before she hit the ground while snatching up his bandana with his free hand. Righting Lily, he hastily tied it around his face while he stammered to explain.

"Uh we weren't…Lily just wanted to know what I looked like and that's how she sees. You know besides the vision things. Cuz I guess mutant turtle isn't really helpful if you can't see and don't know much about turtles…"

April was now doubled over laughing and he couldn't help laughing along with her. She'd gotten him and he had to admit it was pretty funny. Lily had managed to find her stick again and was smiling in their general direction.

"Thanks April, we'll be right in."

"Whatever you say." April tossed him a wink that made his cheeks burn before turning on her heel and heading back to the house. The awesome family drawing that Lily had given him was still on the log. They all looked pretty ninjarrific in it, but he thought that his was the best. A perfect blend of badass adorableness. He folded the picture up and tucked it into his belt.

"Thanks Mikey." Lily was smiling towards where he'd just been standing, holding out her hand to be led back to the house. She'd never done that before and it made him inexplicably happy. Grabbing her outstretched hand, he tugged her forward.

"No prob. Best birthday evah!"

* * *

Donnie shook his head as Mikey bounded out of his lab, using the term 'lab' loosely. He couldn't help but smile though. He wouldn't have expected Mikey to remember the exact date of mutation day by himself, but he would have thought he'd at least get the time of year right. How does anyone mix up the beginning and end of spring? Oh well, Mikey was and would always be Mikey.

Glancing back at the disastrous mutagen medicine that he was trying to synthesize for Leo, he felt his spirits drop again. It was his fault and he needed to do something about it. Yes, they were mutants and had remarkable immune systems and healing regeneration, but Leo's injuries were so severe.

He was alive, but it had been months and he was still in a coma. He harbored hope that the length of the coma might at least be partially natural. As a fusion of reptile and mammal, they were both cold and warm blooded. Not on command, but as their environment dictated.

When they'd been children, before he'd figured out how to heat their home and when food had been scarce, they used to hibernate together in a mound of old blankets throughout the frigid New York winters. The first time happened Sensei had been in such a panic. Father… Please be alive.

Setting aside that pain, his thoughts drifted back to the present. They couldn't afford to hibernate this winter away. Not with Leo so hurt and the world invaded by aliens. So he'd gotten the heat and electricity on, rigging the meters not to record the use.

It felt a little like stealing, but he was keeping careful track so he could let Mr. O'Neil know if…when they got him back again. He could spare some of his better scavenged finds for pawning to pay Mr. O'Neil back.

For that and the food money he, Mikey and Raph were blowing through. Being warm blooded in the winter demanded a lot of fuel. But since it was winter, maybe Leo's unconsciousness could be partly attributed to hibernation and now that spring was here, he'd come back to them.

Leo's complete unresponsiveness unnerved him though. Still, he made sure the Raph knew the water needed to be lukewarm. It would keep Leo in a cold blooded state, which would lower his metabolism and prevent him from starving to death while unconscious.

But it might also slow his healing too. Leo needed help. He had to do something. Had to fix him. If he could just get the chemical composition right, it should dramatically boost his brother's natural regeneration. If. He rubbed his eyes, knowing that he needed break. Visits from Mikey always made him aware of that.

Pushing away from the table, he found himself drifting over to the truck. When Casey had announced the unnecessary and pointless task of restoring it, he'd refused to involve himself. But it wasn't really in his nature to keep out of any type of engineering project. He couldn't seem to help himself. So far he'd kept his hands off, but sooner or later, he'd cave and start working on it. It was inevitable.

And just as inevitably, he found himself checking on Casey's progress. It was going surprisingly well. Much as he hated to admit it, the brash human was actually pretty good with car engines. He said he'd learned from his father. That must have been nice.

Tempted as he was to consider Casey their group's back up Raph, he did have a knack for building mechanical things and knew his way around tools. It might be nice to work with someone else for a change. But why did it have to be Casey of all people?

* * *

Casey stomped out of the farmhouse after dinner, needing to give the training dummy that Raph had set up when he abruptly decided that they needed to train again, several dozen whacks with his hockey sticks.

What has up with her anyway? When she spent the whole drive here curled up against him, he thought that he was finally getting somewhere with her, but she'd barely spoken to him in the last three months and was obviously giving him the cold shoulder. What had he done? Besides practically rebuilding her crumbling family home from the ground up.

Granted Donnie could have probably done just as good or better, he thought jealously, but Donnie was too focused on making medicine for Leo. Stupid smart Donnie. Whack. Thwack. Bang.

He was handy too. His dad had taught him all kinds of things from home repair, electrical wiring and plumbing to rebuilding engines and how to use every tool ever. His dad is awesome. Was awesome. Probably a mutant slave now. Along with his shadow, Maria. Stupid freaking aliens. Whack. Thwack. Smash.

And his best friend was too busy brooding over Leo to even speak to him. Stupid Raph. Crash. Whack. Thud.

And April was acting like he didn't exist. He lowered his weapons and let them fall from his hands to the ground. The truth was he was lonely.

His city was conquered by aliens. His family was lost. He best friend was too consumed with completely justified worry to notice anyone else and his future girlfriend was avoiding him like the plague. Leo was in a coma and Lily and Mikey were usually off in each other's company. That left…

He cast a wistful glance towards the barn. Much as he hated to admit it, Donnie was pretty awesome. When it came to a fight or the general need to clean bad guys off the streets, Raph was the one that really got him.

But being an inhumanly strong mutant who could shake off most hits and wore natural armor, Raph didn't always get Casey's need for crime fighting tools. He didn't appreciate Casey's homemade armor, skate shoes or customized bike weapons made from everyday objects. Well maybe he'd appreciated the Taser the first time they'd met. Casey chuckled at the memory.

But it was Donnie who'd understood Casey's inventiveness and ingenuity in building his crime fighting arsenal with reluctant, grudging respect.

Of course that went both ways. Out of discarded crap, Donnie had built a subway car tank, submarine, personal flight gear and a freaking anime style mech, all fully weaponized. He hated to admit it, but he was in awe of Donnie and more than a bit envious. Not that he'd ever show it.

Together they could make all kinds of amazing weapons to keep the city and world safe. When he was a pro hockey player, he could afford to get them some real tools and supplies. He'd totally be like Batman/Bruce Wayne and Donnie could be his Lucius Fox, inventing all his cool crime fighting tech. You know, if Lucius Fox had some wicked ninjutsu skills. Except, that would never happen. Not with April between them.

Until recently, they could barely be in the same room for very long without competing over her. But the isolation of farm life had ultimately thrown them more in each other's company than ever before now that they shared the barn as a workshop.

They gave each other a lot of crap at every turn, but it was surprisingly fun. He might not always understand Donnie's science speak, but he had an intuitive understanding of most of the mechanical stuff Donnie worked on.

He was pretty sure that he was the only one whoever did and that the others treated Donnie's work like some kind of scientific magic that defied explanation. They worked pretty well together and it was nice not being alone.

These past three months had revealed how awesome friendship with Donnie could be, if one of them were willing to give up April. But she was too amazing, so that was never going to happen. Not for either of them.

* * *

Raph sat on his stool, just watching his motionless, unresponsive big brother, occasionally running a sponge over his head to keep him from drying out and checking the water temperature to make certain it was in the range Donnie had told him.

Don said that water would help him heal faster, but it had been months. Was he ever going to wake up? Thank God spring had arrived. Physical conditioning didn't quite cut it for burning off frustration. Now that he could toss the rest of his family around, it was a little easier.

All he had to do act like things were ok and feign enthusiasm. Given the looks he was getting, he might be overdoing it a little. But what was he supposed to do? When they were all together, everyone looked at him like he was the leader in Leo's absence.

Yes, he was the next oldest, but he'd already tried leadership out and learned that he hated it even more than taking orders. But they needed him and so he needed to suck it up when the others were around.

At least dictating training wasn't something he could screw up badly. But there was no way he could lead them back to New York to take back the city. They needed Leo. He needed Leo. Irritating as Fearless could be, he was lost without him.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he fought the dark thoughts back as though they were a physical enemy. Leo was alive so he had to get better. He just wished his brother would do it a little faster.

After losing Master Splinter, he couldn't take another loss. He didn't dare hope that his father was alive, lest confirming his death when they got home would break him. He couldn't risk it.

He couldn't shake off the pain, worry and frustration the way everyone else seemed to. He couldn't push it to the back of his mind and not feel it. He felt everything, all the time with the same intensity that characterized his personality.

It drove him forward, but as he learned when Leo crashed through that window, when the Shredder threw Sensei down that drain. It was a double edged sword that could destroy him. He'd suspected the way his anger sometimes screwed them all over in battle and on missions, but now he knew. And he needed his family now, as much as they needed him. Maybe more. Come back Leo.

* * *

He'd been running in darkness for so long, dodging Footbots, avoiding Rahzar, Fish Face and Tiger Claw, hiding from the Shredder. But they always found him and killed him, over and over again. It seemed like this was all his life had ever been. This mad chase and unending death.

He was cornered again. The Shredder had him. There was no way to defend himself as the tekkou-kagi claws slashed down at him and he screamed it pain. There was always pain, but there had never been so much before.

It was far worse than it had ever been. And it wasn't stopping, wasn't letting him die before the hunt began again. It just kept hurting and hurting. He moaned.

"Leo?" That voice was so familiar. He knew that voice. With great effort, he forced his eyes open to see a pair of intense green eyes looking back. Raph?

What was Raph doing here? The Shredder would get him. He had to run. Leo tried to move, to warn him, but his effort rewarded him with more body wide, crippling pain that turned his warning into a groan.

"Easy big brother. It's ok. You're going to be ok." Why was he wet? Where was he? Was this a bathtub? Raph was shouting something out the room as he struggled to get his bearings.

"Guys! Guys! Get up here!" All he knew that it was some kind of bathroom. One he'd never seen before. Suddenly the room was full of people and noise. Mikey gasped.

"Leo!" His voice sounded rusty and broken even to him as he responded.

"Hey guys." Then Mikey was there hugging him, making every injury including ones that he didn't know he had scream in pain. He gently tried getting Mikey to let him go, knowing how sensitive his little brother would be to harming him.

Fortunately Raph intervened on his behalf before he actually started crying out in pain. What was going on? What had happened? His memory seemed so blurry and muddled.

Getting out of the tub and downstairs so Donnie could check him out was an ordeal. Everything hurt and his body wasn't responding to the commands of his mind as it should. He felt like he'd been shattered into pieces and had been reassembled wrong.

Unable to resist the humiliating fawning of his family and friends, he instead tried catching up on recent events and listened with a mixture of disbelief and horror as they told him. Three months! He'd been out for three months! April was talking now and he worked to focus in on her words.

"You really had us worried Leo. Raph barely slept." He glanced over at his guardian brother. The least patient and tender of all of them had sat watch over him? Obviously embarrassed, he shrugged it off.

"Ah, it was nothing." But it wasn't nothing. His city was lost. His father was gone. His remaining family was exiled to the middle of nowhere. And he'd been in a coma for three months. Three months!

* * *

Leo sat on the porch steps next to Lily, trying to enjoy the afternoon sun as he watched his family train. He supposed that he should be grateful that Raph let him outside again after this morning's disaster.

Raph's enthusiasm had been contagious and he had unwisely allowed himself to follow Raph out for training, as he limped along on his crutch, trying vainly to keep down the medicine Donnie had made for him.

That stuff was beyond vile, but Donnie had worked really hard on it and who knew, maybe it would work. Or would've if he hadn't harfed it back up all over the riverbank before nearly collapsing.

Raph had felt so guilty, he could have kicked himself. He should have been stronger for his brother, for his family. He knew why Raph was so eager to get him back in shape. Everything had changed for the worse so suddenly, they all needed to put anything they could back the way it should be.

Raph wanted, no needed, him to be back to normal. Back to the way things were before. But he wasn't sure that was possible. Everyone's relief at his waking was so palpable that he did his best to pretend the worst was over and everything was going to be fine now, but that wasn't true.

He was broken and didn't know how to put himself back together. Everything still hurt, his body didn't respond the way it should and kept betraying him at the worst possible moments. He couldn't walk without a crutch and even his voice sounded wrong.

And the nightmare of that battle was lurking at the edges of his mind. His loss. His failure. Whoever he had been before died in that fight. The person that remained was a stranger to him. He wasn't the same person anymore and there was no going back, but he was afraid to admit that to his family. They needed him to tell them how to put things right. How could he do that when he couldn't even put himself right?


	67. Chapter 65: The Cost of Power III

**The Cost of Power III:**

The Shredder tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the armrest of this throne as the screen faded to black at the end of his meeting with Kraang Prime. It was a careful dance as neither were fools and both knew they would betray each other. It was a race to see which one finished needing the other first.

He knew the Kraang were dragging their feet in making Karai's retro-mutagen from the sample that he'd provided them. Just as his people, the Kraang's eyes and ears in the city, were slow to provide information and captives, many of which they kept for the Shredder's personal research.

He knew the Kraang would never finish the retro-mutagen, because he wouldn't need them after that. He was just waiting until their progress reports yielded enough information for Stockman and Filtch to complete it on their own.

In the meantime, he needed to slow the Kraang down and keep them busy with the city until he was ready to crush their invasion. No need to let them gain any further advantage than was strictly necessary.

He was walking a narrow line here, but did not care. He was victorious in all things because he was willing to do what needed to be done. To take risks that others were too weak to handle. And he would be victorious in this.

Even now, his people were out searching for Karai and Splinter. Soon, he would have his daughter back and restored to him. And he would finally have his vengeance. Splinter might already by dead, but he wouldn't believe it until he was standing over his desecrated corpse. The wily rat had already escaped death once. The Shredder would take no chances.

And once that was taken care of and the invasion thwarted, he would, at his leisure, hunt down and destroy the rat's cowardly turtle disciples. Then his vengeance would be complete and his honor restored. He would be victorious.


	68. Chapter 66: Huntress IV

**Huntress IV:**

Alopex fingered the polar bear tooth she now wore on a leather strip as a necklace while she waited. The flight back to Japan had left her with doubts. She just couldn't accept that her home was gone.

Forest fires happened but infrequently and rarely with such complete destruction. They were a force of rebirth. Perhaps those evil human scientists who had captured her had done this. Humans had a gift for wanton destruction.

She had an inexplicable need to know and had no one to ask. Kitsune was off on business and the Shredder and Karai were trapped in New York. At least that left her as one of the highest ranking Foot clan members currently in Japan.

No one dared question her when she demanded that one of the clan's technical servants locate and retrieve the files for her of the mission that had freed her. Surely the information she sought would be there.

"Here it is." The small human man looked up at her hopefully.

"Good. You are dismissed."

"But…"

"I said that you are dismissed!" She growled as she spoke and he all but fled the room. Seating herself before the computer terminal, she was grateful that she'd been required to learn to read and write human language, well at Japanese at least and some English.

As she perused the file, she felt her blood run cold. The end contained Kitsune's personal report to the Shredder. She had burned down the forest as a safe guard, in case there was some evidence of the scientist's work running free there.

With Howard setting up an oil refinery on the site of the old research facility, she didn't want him to discover that they'd hidden the research from him. To keep Alopex for their own use. The Foot clan had destroyed her forest. In order to keep and use her.

The chill in her blood burned away in her rage. She had been used and betrayed. But she would have her revenge. She would bide her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, like the true hunter that she was. In that moment she would turn the skills they'd taught her against them. Kitsune would pay. The Shredder would pay. Karai…

No. Karai had been a child. Unlikely to be involved in the deceit. No, her friendship was true. She refused to believe otherwise until confronted with the truth. But it likely wouldn't matter.

After killing Karai's father, she would most likely have to face her sister in battle. The idea left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she saw no alternative. The Shredder and Kitsune must die. No matter the cost, she would avenge her home.


	69. Chapter 67: Obligation of Heaven III

**Obligation of Heaven III:**

Mei slipped quietly and unseen through the city, her personal quest on hold. Somehow everything and gone completely wrong faster than she would have thought possible. The squishy brain monsters in machine bodies were destroying and changing everything in sight.

She had thought this city to be a strange and foreign place when she arrived, but it was so unrecognizable now that she longed for the way it once was. She'd been so miserable and isolated upon her arrival.

Confining as the monastery had been, she'd had free roam of it and did not need to fear being seen by her brother monks. Here, she could allow no one to know of her existence and could only go out in secret, under cover of darkness to search for her prey.

Her only saving grace had been that her father had taught her what English he knew so that she could at least listen and overhear the conversations of others from hiding. It gave her some relief from the sensation of being utterly alone, but she still wished things were different. Be careful what you wish for.

Somehow, she knew whatever was happening needed to be stopped or nothing she did with her other mission would matter. They were easy enough to avoid with her stealth, but there were other enemies in the city. She'd caught glimpses of these more skilled robotic warriors and even destroyed a few. She had to be cautious of them.

She could easily take them one on one or even one on several, but they tended to travel in large packs and she knew better than to be reckless. For now, the best she could was try to protect the people still free from capture as she did what she could to learn about these strange invaders.

There. The invaders were leading a group of unfortunate human captives towards a glowing pink portal. Leaping gracefully across the rooftops, a skill she'd mastered shortly after her arrival, she rushed to intervene.

Suddenly the invaders were flailing about in a cloud of firecrackers and smoke, while a man in trench coat urged the captives to flee amid the chaos. For one so obviously untrained, that was very brave. She respected him.

He ducked into an alley and she saw one especially observant invader notice and follow. The heroic man was going to be caught. There was no way she could help without being seen, but she could not do nothing. Such courage did not deserve to be punished.

Leaping down, using the fire escape to control her descent, she landed between the invader and the man. Being at medium range, she whipped out her jōhyō. The invader had no time to react before she buried the metal point of her rope dart into its squishy pink brain, shutting it down in spray of purple blood. The machine body slowed and became motionlessly still as the last mental commands of its dead inhabitant faded into silence.

Coiling her weapon, she prepared to scale the fire escape before the man she'd saved could get a good look at her.

"Donatello? No, too short. Wait, Michelangelo had that weapon. Michelangelo, I'm so glad to see you. Are the other turtles nearby? I need to speak with Donatello." His words froze her in place. She was completely covered. How could he tell that she was a turtle?

No, he'd mistaken her for someone else. Were they're other turtles? Could it be that she wasn't the only one? He'd saved those people and sounded like a friend of these other turtles. Should she risk it? She had to know. But not here. It wasn't safe.

Lifting a nearby manhole cover, she gestured him to follow as she descended. There were still dangers down here, but fewer than on the surface and easier to evade. The man was slow and his pace irked her, but she was patient and led him to a building she knew to be abandoned from her scouting earlier in the night.

Once safely ensconced in the basement, she turned to face him. He cracked a plastic stick and the room filled with a dim green light.

"Michelangelo, where are your brothers?" She pulled down her masked and his eyes widened in surprise.

"I am not Michelangelo." He nodded.

"Another turtle…I didn't know."

"I am Mei Pieh Chi. Are there…" She suddenly felt shy and nervous.

"Are there others like me? I thought I was the only one." He was not frightened of her at all. Surprised, as he obviously mistook her for someone else, but not afraid. She'd forgotten how comforting it was to interact with someone who wouldn't panic the moment they laid eyes on her.

"Yes, there are others like you, although I haven't seen them since the invasion started. I'm Jack J. Kurtzman by the way. You can call me Jack. I'll tell you about them if you like." She nodded slowly.

"Ok. It's kind of a long story…"

* * *

As Kurtzman spoke, he observed her features. Yes, her. It was surprising to find there was a girl ninja turtle. Well, maybe not ninja. Her accent sounded Chinese and he was pretty sure ninjas were a Japanese thing. Still, she was much like them. He wondered what this would mean for them when they learned about her.

She was physically similar to them although, like each of the brothers, she had features that made her unique. Of all of them, her skin was the darkest and most vibrant green. She was smaller than all them, even Michelangelo, and much more dainty, if such a word could be used to describe a mutant turtle. He was fairly certain that among normal turtles, the females were actually larger, so that must be an attribute of her human heritage.

Her head was round, like Michelangelo's, but the structure of her face was sleek and angled with more of a combination of Raphael and Leonardo's features. He could clearly picture each of the brother's in his mind's eye as he compared her to them. It was possible as he had rare eidetic memory.

Now her almond shaped eyes were dark brown, so dark they looked black, but when she was fighting and had glanced over at her, he'd swear they'd been deep blue, seeming almost to glow in that dark alley. He couldn't explain it.

She dressed differently too. She wore a grey tunic robe and slacks, belted with a black sash. She had black wraps over her hands, like gloves and over her feet like boots, those held in place by gray laces that crisscrossed up her calf. She was holding her black hood and mask that she'd removed when she first started this conversation.

It was strange seeing a turtle so heavily clothed. It made her look like an oddly bulky person with a bit of a hunchback, but he understood her reasoning. Better to be awkward, but possibly normal than remarkable but impossible. No, not better. Just safer.

The lack of a mask over her eyes made her seem oddly exposed after the time he'd spent with the other turtles. Even Slash wore a mask like that. But he didn't regret it. It was easier to interpret her expressions this way. She had known nothing about the Kraang, mutagen or how it all connected to her own origins. It was clearly a lot to take in and she was fighting to maintain her composure.

"You know, although I haven't seen the other turtles like you for months, there are other mutants, good mutants, who are helping me fight the Kraang. You could join us, or at least meet them if you wanted to."

* * *

Mei's throat constricted and she couldn't answer. It was too much. Everything she thought she knew about her existence and what she was had been turned upside down. She couldn't believe that the same aliens currently invading, the Kraang, inadvertently created her. That she was an interdimensional accident.

That there are others like her was equally daunting, turning her world view and all her expectations for her life on their heads. She understood what he had trusted her with and what he had just offered to trust her with and was humbled by it. But it was too much all at once. She needed time to consider and accept everything she had just learned. She couldn't take anymore. Not yet.

"I'm sorry. I just…I need some time." He looked disappointed but not surprised.

"Please don't tell anyone about me. Not until I'm…ready." He gave her a sad smile.

"I promise. Here." He handed her a worn business card with all the information on it scratched out and revised except for his name.

"It's my card. The phone numbers and email won't work during the invasion I expect, but on the back is an address where you can find me if you need to talk. Although the other mutants are often there too. I'll try to spend time alone there when they're out, in case you need to contact me." Tears sprang to her eyes and she nodded.

"Thank you." In a blur of motion she was gone, leaving him blinking at the empty space she'd just occupied.

"Be careful Mei."


	70. Chapter 68: To Overcome VI

**To Overcome VI:**

Lisa curled up in the corner, shaking as she drifted in and out of a furtive, uneasy sleep. She understood why her brief tankmate had been so crazy. She must have been here longer. She'd seen.

Lisa had lost her early confidence and bravado. Some part of her still hoped for escape, but it was small and hidden, buried beneath a mountain of fear and hopelessness. It was her true self, locked way for protection on the slim chance that she might escape this nightmare and unearth it one day. In the meantime, she forced herself to eat and move, trying to stay physically strong. She would fight when they came for her and they would come eventually.

She'd lost track of time in this place, watching as more and more victims were transformed, listening as inhuman screams occasionally drifted up from distant corners of the prison and trying not to see as their mutilated corpses were removed for disposal as the tests concluded.

She didn't really sleep anymore, staying awake and on guard as much as possible until her body overwhelmed her mind with its physical demands and she lost a few precious moments here and there.

At first, she'd wondered why it was taking so long for them to come for her. They'd already taken others that had arrived after her. She knew this because the victims were less and less frequently homeless. She didn't know how they were getting away with snatching ordinary people, people who would be missed but they did.

Filtch's occasional glances at her as he worked made her realize what he was doing. He was intentionally waiting to take her. He wanted her to watch, to see, to understand. He intended for her to know her fate as completely as possible and wait for it in and unending state of dread.

No one was coming to save her. If they were, they would have arrived by know. She was helpless and alone and they were coming for her. Eventually it would be her turn.


	71. Chapter 69: What Lies in Shadow VI

**What Lies in Shadow VI:**

Kitsune sat at an outdoor café in Chicago, pretending to drink the tea she'd ordered. She was trying to determine what exactly had led her here. Her divination had produced many possible locations and Chicago was a minor one.

It wasn't a particularly windy place, at least not compared to others. However her intuition, insisted that this was the place. Perhaps it was the belief of the many people who'd called it the windy city over the decades. The faith of people had more power than they would have guessed. Now she just needed to find exactly what she was looking for.

Suddenly she caught the scent of the wind wild and free, displacing the thick and unnatural city air. Narrowing her eyes, she saw a woman, not just a woman but something more, purchasing coffee to go. Well, well. So that's what drew her. Now that she had her target, the hunt could begin.

* * *

Dr. Candice Bridge gathered her files into her valise, before hurrying to the train station. She was actually kind of excited about this meeting. She consulted on a lot of wind energy projects as a leading expert in the field, but most of those meetings were in boring conference rooms or restaurants.

That Ms. Hayashi wanted to meet on the Skydeck of Willis Tower suggested a bit of fun and whimsy on her part. Sure they'd be surrounded by tourists with no place to sit or table to use, but it would be a great view. Too bad they'd be surrounded by glass, but at least they'd be high up.

Candice never felt so free as when she was somewhere high above the ground with a fresh breeze grazing her skin. Smiling, she recalled her recent trip to Mount Washington, New Hampshire. She'd just returned and would celebrate with Miri and Angel tonight at dinner. It was going to be a great day.

Only her love for her niece and grandniece could tie her down to one place so much, but she didn't regret it. When Miri had called her all those years ago for help, she'd been happy to take in the daughter of her late sister, even if it meant changing her free spirited way of life.

But helping to heal Miri and raise Angel had been an unexpected joy and she was grateful for them every day. She would have liked to have seen them as soon as she got back, but Miri was at work, having started her life anew as an accountant, and Angel had was probably training right now.

She worried over her feisty grandniece. The girl was so very smart, but had such a fierce temper that she tended to get herself kicked out of school after school. But Candice had an idea, much to Miri's trepidation.

She'd searched the entire area around the apartment for a good martial arts school. Many of which she could logically tell wouldn't do. Some she simply did not like the aura of. But when she walked into the Chicago School of Filipino Martial Arts, she knew that she'd found the place.

Miri thought that it would worsen Angel's violent tendencies, but as Candice had hoped, the girl developed self-discipline along with her training and the expulsions had become less frequent. Which was good as they were running out of school options.

Besides, Angel loved it and was good at it. She'd even started training with escrima. Candice knew that they were real weapons and to be treated with respect, but when she'd found that Angel had taken to stick fighting, she couldn't help but recall the girl as a child having dramatic sword fights with other children using sticks in the park. They were happy memories.

Her mood was lighter than a cloud as she took the elevator to meet Ms. Hayashi. This would be a good day. The doors opened and her client was easy to find among the tourists as a beautiful Asian woman in a black business suit, glasses and her hair pulled back in a severe bun.

"Ms. Hayashi?"

"Yes. You must be Dr. Bridge."

"I have some files to go over with you based on the information you sent me, but this might not be the easiest place to go over them, not that I'm complaining." Her client smiled.

"Of course. We can go down to one of the restaurants in a moment. I just couldn't miss this since I was going to be in Chicago. Would you like to go with me or wait at the elevator?" Candice cracked a grin.

"I'd love to join you." Enthusiastic, she practically dragged the poor woman to the glass observatory. She felt almost like she was floating above the world here. With a deep breath, she took it all on and tried to hold it within herself. Moments like these felt like magic.

She turned to Hayashi to see how she was enjoying the experience. The last thing she recalled was staring into those mysterious dark eyes.

* * *

Candice blinked back into awareness and gasped. She could see the metal structure that topped the Willis tower and realized that she was standing on the edge of the building roof. How did she get here? She shouldn't have been able to get up here. She didn't even recall how she gotten up here. That was troubling.

"I have to thank you again for being willing to meet me here." Ms. Hayashi? She looked around and saw a woman with impossibly long black hair wearing a kimono and a strange mask, standing a few steps behind her.

"How…?"

"This is really not the place I would have expected to find a shaman."

"Shaman?" Candice felt dumbfounded. What was going on? The masked women let out a low unnerving chuckle.

"You don't even know what you are, do you?"

"What I am?" Now she just sounded like a fool, parroting back everything she heard as a question but her mind was struggling to keep up with this turn of events.

"You've had a useful life, traveling the world, drawing in the great winds to yourself on your journeys. I suppose they probably called to you. You've made this very convenient for me." The confusion was fading into anger now.

"Who are you? How did you get me up here? What do you want with me?"

"Just your spirit." Before Candice could respond to that, the woman was before her, moving too fast to see. Her hands struck Candice in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards off of the tower.

For a moment, as her mind processed what had happened, she panicked as she fell, thrusting her arms out in front of her as though they could somehow stop her fall. Except they did. She was held aloft on a gust of wind. How? She gazed down at the city below her in wonder. Amazing.

Suddenly, it felt like her mind and soul were being ripped out of her body. She had never known such pain was possible. The wind was gone and she fell, but the scream she let loose had nothing to do with plummeting to the pavement below.

* * *

Kitsune listened disinterestedly as Dr. Bridge's scream faded away. Her attention was all for the medallion of wind coalescing in her hands. She was so close now. It was almost time. She had waited and planned for so long. Soon, it would all be hers.


	72. Chapter 70: Fallen I

**Fallen I:**

Angel rode her bike home, her tired body thrumming with confidence. She wasn't that advanced in her training yet, but she was good. Very good. She could see it in the eyes of the older students when they thought she wasn't looking.

Every day she gave her Aunt Candice a mental thank you for finding the place for her. It was exactly what she needed. It made her strong, but more than that it gave her control and purpose.

She wasn't always getting into trouble anymore because school was mind numbingly boring, teaching her things that she already understood with excessive and unnecessary repetition. She had her challenge now and could run forms in her mind when academic lessons became redundant.

Closing in on her apartment, she saw something so strange, she nearly rode her bike into a parked car. It was a woman with incredibly long black hair, in an odd silk robe, wearing a weird mask as she gazed up at Angel's apartment building. Then she turned and caught Angel's eyes in the most unnerving stare. Angel blinked and the woman was gone. Had she imagined that? Creepy.

Trying to shake off the disturbing feeling left by the vision, she locked up her bike and took the steps two or three at a time. Elevators were for out of shape losers. Bursting forth from the stairwell, she skidded to a halt. There were cops standing just inside her open apartment door.

Oh crap! What had she done now? Mentally reviewing the past few weeks, she couldn't bring up a single indiscretion that would have brought the police down on her. Well, no sense putting off the inevitable. Straightening her spine, she strode into the apartment, refusing to be meek or frightened. Whatever punishment that she had coming, she could take it.

But the cops barely glanced at her as she entered, avoiding eye contact when they could. Her mother, who sat sobbing into a wad of tissues as the kitchen table, looked up at her with puffy swollen eyes. A sinking feeling of dread took root in the pit of her stomach. What was wrong? With great effort, her mother finally managed.

"Aunt Candice…" It was the first time in her life that Angel had been brought low by anything. But strong as she was, she sank to the floor under the crushing weight of grief. Aunt Candice was gone.


	73. Chapter 71: Brotherhood VII

**Brotherhood VII:**

Casey huffed as he watched the turtles leave on their special training expedition. They'd totally ditched their human companions as though all of them weren't warriors. Well not Lily, but still. Casey Jones did not get left behind.

Then again, Casey Jones didn't become one with nature either. He could leave that up to tree hugging hippies. Better to think of this as some one on one time with April. He felt a twinge of guilt at that thought.

After the battle with Speed Demon, he'd realized that Don was his friend. A friend he'd lay down his life for without hesitation. They made an awesome team. Maybe not as awesome as him and Raph, but damn close.

He wanted April. Badly. But balked at the thought of hurting Donnie. This was turning into a complicated mess that he didn't really want to think about. So he wouldn't. He'd play it by impulse and instinct which had always served him well in the past.

Well, if the guys were gonna train, so would he. He couldn't let them get an edge on him. Now to find Red. Nothing wrong or guilt inducing about looking for a sparring partner.

* * *

Lily sat dejectedly on the couch. The house felt so empty without the turtles in it. Technically it was empty except for her. She could hear April and Casey sparring outside and had to suppress a surge of jealousy.

She knew what it felt like to be that graceful and powerful thanks to Leo's visions and she knew she'd never have that. It wasn't her blindness that held her back. April had proved that blind fighting was entirely possible and effective when she'd faced down the Chimera that she'd been psychically linked to.

Through Leo, Lily had felt not only the physical potential needed to harness to become a skilled ninja, but also the accompanying warrior's spirit she would need. She had neither. She wasn't especially athletic and she'd didn't care for the idea of hurting another sentient being, enemy or not. She wasn't made for fighting and she thought that she'd been at peace with that.

Until recently. Ever since Leo had woken up, a string of events resulting mostly from a mutagen spill or two had served to highlight just how useless she was. She'd spent most of each incident cowering wherever Mikey had thought to hide her and listening to his daring heroics afterwards, which admittedly was kind of fun.

But even when she wasn't personally in danger, she couldn't help. She had no power to wake them when the Dream Beavers attacked and she couldn't even help April give Big Foot a makeover to impress Don.

At least when Leo first woke up, she could walk the grounds with him as he recovered, but he quickly surpassed her and soon she realized that rather than encouraging him onward, he was holding back so that she could keep up.

He healed so much faster than should have been possible. She was pretty sure he was almost completely recovered. The injury seemed more of mind than body and he violently overreacted to even the slightest sign of pain as though it took him back to the moment he got the injury in the first place.

Having spent a good chunk of her life in a mental institution, she understood that in a way that no one else could, but wasn't able to communicate it so that her insight was remotely helpful. Useless.

This train of thought was unhelpful and self-defeating. Hopelessness was a vicious cycle. She knew that much. She hadn't given in to it before and she wouldn't now. Not when she finally felt like she belonged somewhere.

She'd just think about how much fun it would be when they got back. A full moon must be coming up soon, given how long it had been since the last one. Everyone hated the mess that Mikey made pretending to be a were-turtle, but she thought it was fun enough to justify the next day's clean up.

He'd promised to come up with a super awesome nickname for her. When she told him that she already had one, he'd begged to hear it. Close as she'd become with Mikey, she felt like that belonged to her and Lisa.

Upon learning that it was a secret, he'd become determined to guess it. He never even got close, but his guesses never failed to brighten her day. As long as she focused on what she had instead of what she didn't, everything would be ok.

* * *

Mikey focused as he never had before in his life, pulling in the stillness and peace of the forest around him. Time seemed to stop and his attention narrowed with pinpoint accuracy. He could hear Rahzar above him and wasn't afraid. He knew the moment of attack when it came and could sense every strike Rahzar intended, dodging each one within a hairsbreadth of the strike.

Suddenly he was behind Rahzar and the kamas he'd made were slicing through him, cancelling him into a puff of smoke. He'd won. His focus slipped away as he sank to his knees, breathing heavily. He didn't think he could maintain that all the time, but there was power in knowing that he was capable of it. He'd never felt more like a ninja.

* * *

Donnie stood unarmed on a precarious mountain ledge facing a gloating Tiger Claw. His mind insisted that he was doomed. He hadn't had good odds at the start. Now with no ground for movement and no weapon to fight with, there was simply no chance. Tiger Claw was too strong.

But this wasn't the real world where the rules applied. This was the spirit realm. His father, alive and out there somewhere waiting for him, had sent him on this quest and would not have done so if it were truly impossible. There had to be a way.

At this point, his brilliant mind was more a hindrance than an asset. What had Sensei told him? He needed to rely on his body too. To trust in his strength. Years of being pummeled by Raph, outmaneuvered by Leo and simply falling prey to Mikey's randomness had slowly chipped away at his confidence in his physical skills.

Master Splinter said he could do this. He said that he was strong. Immovable like the mountain. He could feel the solid, ancient stone under his feet and the eons it had weathered, making it a part of him.

Suddenly, Tiger Claw was before him. Instead of running and dodging, he stood his ground and caught Tiger Claw's strike, ignoring the cat's taunts and appeals to logic and reason. He was strong. Stronger than he'd ever believed.

With a twist, he turned Tiger Claw's strength against him and threw him down off of the mountain, watching him shatter into a puff of smoke as he was well and truly defeated. Donnie had done it. For once, his body was in balance with his mind. Strong and immovable as the mountain.

* * *

Raph thrashed in the water as Fish Face darted around pummeling him. How had everything gone so wrong? He hadn't been jumping out of his shell with enthusiasm when Leo proposed this little adventure, but he liked the woods and nature more than he'd been willing to admit.

And it was good to see Leo confident and in charge again. He'd walk back to New York barefoot on hot coals if it would keep his brother that way. So he'd followed without complaint for once and it had been surprisingly peaceful and vindicating to survive in the wild with just his skill and determination. Things had been going great, besides that humiliating fight with the deer-mutant-spirit-thing.

But his father was alive and he had enemies to defeat. He'd forged armor and made himself new weapons, tekkou-kagi to prove that he could turn his enemy's strength into his own, adding in the fire that Sensei had seen in his spirit. Donnie wasn't the only one who could build stuff.

He'd been smashing Footbots all over this cave, determined to beat this challenge. To overcome this obstacle between him and his father's rescue. But now Fish Face was kicking his shell. In the water of all places. He was a freaking turtle and shouldn't those stupid robotic legs be slowing him down, fish or not?

Angrily, he heaved himself onto the stone ledge and out of the water. The fire producing mechanism in his claws was shot. Damn. Now what?

He could sense Fish Face approaching again, failure looming just beyond and it made his blood boil with rage. To be this close and lose. No! What had his father said? Control his anger? No, focus it. Hone it into a weapon that he could use.

For once, his rage didn't control him, flaring out with wild unthinking abandon. It was now a power that responded to his will. His tekkou-kagi burned with the power of his harnessed anger. With a war cry, he slashed a stunned Fish Face into a cloud of smoke.

He didn't need to be at war with himself. He didn't need to fight or change who he was. He had needed to embrace and master it. He was finally comfortable in his own shell and he was ready. Ready to take back his father, his city and his world.

* * *

Leo scrambled up the mountain peak, his leg screaming in agony. Why did he think that he could do this? He was broken. His leg was never going to heal. He'd never be the same again. It would always hold him back, making him useless, unfit for leadership. He was a burden on his brothers and his family.

The brief joy that his father's guidance had lit the night before snuffed out under this realization. The Shredder was going to kill him. Again. Despairing, he looked up to await the final blow, weak and pathetic as he was. Instead of the Shredder, he saw the deer levitating before him. The spirit messenger.

Although it never spoke, it was here to tell him something. Something important. He didn't move at all but his knee twinged in brutal, crippling pain. But he hadn't moved? Because it wasn't his body that was injured. Not anymore. The pain and the injury were in his mind. He was the only thing holding himself back. It had been him the whole time. The epiphany was stunning in its intensity.

Yes, the person he'd been had died in that last battle and was never coming back, but he was not broken. He could forge a new stronger self out of the surviving pieces and he would. With a deep breath, he drew the messenger into himself, letting the knowledge suffuse his being.

The pieces of him that had survived the invasion fused together into something new. Something strong, fierce and bold, but tempered by pain and experience. He wasn't broken, just becoming the warrior that he was meant to be and every hurt, loss and mistake along the way only served to further him on that journey, helping him to grow. He was ready.

The pain in his leg was gone now that he'd cast off his doubts. Lighter than air and fast as the wind, he attacked, heedless that the Shredder loomed larger than life over him. No matter how big or strong, his adversary could not hold him back.

Leo broke free of all that held him and launched an arrow into the eye of his foe, feeling the confidence of victory to the very core of his being. If he could defeat the Shredder in the spirit realm, then he could defeat him in the real world too. And he would. There wasn't anything holding him back anymore.

* * *

April sat on the porch swing with Casey enjoying some ice cream pops and trying not to think about how Ice Cream Kitty might have produced them. Better to enjoy the free food. They were essentially out of cash after this last supply run and she had no idea how they were going to afford to eat.

She'd kept it from Casey, Donnie and Mikey, but Raph and Leo knew how precarious their situation was and had tried fishing and hunting respectively with less success than she would have liked before going off on their little camping trip.

How could they leave her behind? She was a kunoichi. She naturally had intuition that Master Splinter had taken years of training to attain. It's why he offered to train her in the first place. She would have been awesome at spirit training and they'd left her behind. Well, Leo did and maybe Raph. If it had been up to Mikey and Donnie she would have been right with them.

But that's not what she was really upset about. Mikey spent most of his free time with Lily. Casey was either training with Raph or working on the roadster with Donnie who was doing that or trying to devise a retro-mutagen to save New York. And Leo was still recovering.

All important things. Well maybe not the roadster. And she didn't want to upset Casey and Donnie's newly discovered friendship by rekindling their rivalry. So she when they were together, she trained with Raph.

It was great that he didn't hold back after she'd landed a few hits on him. She liked being taken seriously. But she tended to be sore and exhausted for days after each session, making it an untenable form of companionship.

She thought Leo would spend more time with her after she'd dragged him to the Chimera, but he seemed embarrassed enough about needing her to kick his shell into gear that he seemed to be avoiding her a little. She was just tired of being left out.

At least with Lily sulking in the house, she'd enjoyed the past few days with Casey. They'd trained hard and he hadn't pushed her for anything she wasn't ready for. It was kind of nice just hanging and talking to him, but it brought back all the confusing feelings she'd been avoiding and the dilemma of what she was going to do about them.

Donnie had tried giving her an out after the Bigfoot incident, but he'd looked so forlorn that she just had to give him a chance. She'd thought maybe she could spark something with a kiss. She loved him, but the kiss had struck home that it was all friend and brother. Now she'd made a bigger mess of things than before and this time it was all her fault.

To make matters worse, being alone with Casey, while thrilling, was dangerous, reminding her of the unbidden attraction she refused to acknowledge. She hoped the guys got back soon. Time for a distraction.

"Want to help me try splitting logs again?" Casey cringed. Her efforts had not gone well over the past few days in regards to Raph's last challenge. Mostly, she just hit the log that Casey held for her, sending him flying with an unbroken piece of wood.

But he didn't back down, as she knew that he wouldn't. Instead of answering, he stood up and grabbed a log and waited for her in the yard with grim determination. It was almost funny and she had to stop herself from grinning like an idiot at him. She needed to focus.

What had Donnie said? It wasn't just the physical blow. She needed to break it with inner strength too. Casey held the log out in front of him like a shield. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself as she would in meditation, controlling her breathing and seeking that balance between body and mind.

"If you knock me into the mud one more time Red…"

"Oh? What are you gonna do about it?" But she wasn't listening to him or the response that came almost automatically to her lips. Her focus was entirely on her inner self, her body thrumming with energy.

Concentrating, she willed that energy into her foot and lashed out at the log. The force of her blow responded exactly to her will. The log split perfectly, like magic without any of the force travelling into Casey. She did it! She really did it! Yes!

"Finally! Yes!" For a moment she was lost in celebration, until she noticed Casey staring dumbfounded. She instinctively bristled. Her success wasn't that unbelievable. Except he was looking past her.

Cautiously she turned to see what had struck him mute and her breath caught in her throat as she watched them approach. They each had flags bearing a different symbol that she could only assume was Japanese.

Leo wore a hood and had what looked like a homemade archery set on his back. Donnie had turned his bo into an axe and wore a cloak and mask that made him look like he belonged in a Legend of Zelda game.

She wasn't sure how it was supposed to work, but Raph looked like he was covered in net armor, his mask dangling to points below his eyes, and had industrial looking claws on his hands that reminded her of the Shredder.

And Mikey's mask now covered his head like he was Zorro or Wesley from the Princess Bride. Was he wearing armor made of bark? He also had mini scythes in each hand. She'd never seen them look so collectively serious. Woah.

"What happened out there?" Leo radiated determination as he spoke.

"It's time. We're going back to New York."


	74. Chapter 72: Vision Quest VI

**Vision Quest VI:**

Lily lay on the couch, bored. She used to be fine alone. It had been her natural state of being. When had that changed? Could she go back to being that person when she had to?

The funny thing was that she wasn't really alone at all. April and Casey were on the porch, just outside. But they seemed to belong to their own world, one that she wasn't a part of and hesitated to intrude upon even though she knew they'd welcome her.

It wasn't their company that she craved anyway. She was waiting for that cheerful voice and bubbling energy that drove away her ever present loneliness and the weighty burden of her visions.

"Mrrw." The muffled sound came from the freezer and she smiled. Ice Cream Kitty missed him too. She hadn't been so dependent on anyone since meeting Lisa. A momentary ache clutched at her chest as she realized how much she missed her cousin, her friend, her sister. Lisa would help her understand the changes that she was going through and guide her along the way. She could really use her advice now.

 _The darkness that constantly surrounded her exploded into blinding fluorescent light. Lisa? Whatever was going on hadn't happened yet, but it was painfully soon. Was this San Francisco? She didn't know. There were no windows or natural light, just a lot of scientific equipment and glass rooms. Prisons Lisa's mind offered._

 _Abruptly aware of her and Lisa's combined body, she noticed that they were bound hand and foot, completely immobile. Lisa's terror seeped into her and she could barely focus on anything other than the desperate need to escape._

 _At the edge of her vision, she saw a horrifying fly man in a purple sweater and jeans. The scream they shared came from her as the sight made their collective flesh crawl. Before her stood a manically grinning man. He was frail, wearing a lab coat with wild reddish brown hair and glasses. Within her she could feel Lisa whimper and retreat inside of herself._

 _Some of Lily's terror burned away with her anger. Who was this monster and what had her done to her bold, fearless cousin? He momentarily faltered at the expression of fierce defiant hatred that she must have worn._

 _Lisa was curled up inside of herself, leaving Lily in full control. Normally a reasonably peaceful person, Lily was certain that one day, somehow, she would kill this man. He shoved her and she tumbled feet over head into a large spherical vat of…was that mutagen? Lisa! No!_

 _Her body was on fire. They screamed together as her flesh rent and bones broke, reshaped and grew anew. She was being torn apart and remade and it was pure agony._ Suddenly she was back on the couch, screaming as the echo of overpowering pain still wracked her body.

"Lily! Lily!" Mikey? His voice grounded her and she felt some semblance of self-control return to her.

"Mikey. Help me."


	75. Chapter 73: Fallen II

**Fallen II:**

Angel sat in the funeral home, wearing an uncomfortable black dress that didn't fit right. She'd just grabbed the first one off the rack in her fog of disbelief as they'd prepared for Aunt Candice's funeral.

She could see her mother, greeting people and accepting condolences like a broken automaton. Angel hadn't moved from her seat on one of the couches, murmuring nonsensical sounds of acknowledgment to anyone who dared approach her with sympathy.

She looked everywhere in the room except were her aunt's urn stood, next to a picture of her in life and surrounded by flowers. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

They'd said it was a suicide, but that couldn't be. No one loved life more than Aunt Candice. She was going to meet them for dinner later that day to tell them about her latest trip. There was no way she'd kill herself.

And how did she even get up there? No one had been able to explain that to her satisfaction. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong. Her aunt wasn't a pile of ash in a jar. She was a respected scientist. She was a world traveler. She was a quirky hippie with her crystals, homeopathic remedies, and aura readings. This just couldn't be.

Angel felt like she couldn't breathe all of a sudden, like the walls were closing in on her. She needed to get out of here. Now. Abruptly, she thrust herself to her feet and plowed full speed out of the room to the shock of anyone unfortunate enough to be standing in her way.

Once outside, she moved off the street around the side of the building and leaned against the cool brick wall, closing her eyes and drawing in several long breaths. She didn't know if she could go back in there. How was she going to make it through the funeral? How was going to make it through the future?

No one understood her like Aunt Candice. The world didn't seem right without her in it. But she would get through this because that's what Aunt Candice would want. She would do it for Aunt Candice.

Steeling her resolve, she opened her eyes prepared to march back inside, but froze in place. Was that a fox? It couldn't be. This was a freaking city. It must just be some strange dog. Trying to ignore it, she headed back in, but couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that it had been smiling at her.


	76. Chapter 74: Defying Fate VI

**Defying Fate VI:**

April relaxed into the passenger seat, staring out the windshield into the darkness of the freeway in front of them. They were finally going back. Back to the nightmare city where the Kraang roamed free. Where the people lived in terror under an alien regime. The ones who were left anyway. Where her father had been mutated right before her eyes. Again. Where they had lost, utterly and completely.

But she wasn't afraid. Not anymore. They'd all trained harder than they thought possible. She had more control over her psychic abilities, not a lot more, but some. Casey had worked himself until any trace of softness she'd once thought she'd perceived in him was burned away.

Upon returning from their spirit training, the guys seemed to be so much more than they had been, if such a thing was possible. They were ready.

Donnie had redesigned her dad's party wagon and everyone had worked hard on transforming it into a weapon as formidable as the shellraiser. And they had the roadster too, albeit without Dr. Cluckingsworth. In her mind, she heard Mikey's voice demanding that she add M.D. to the end of her name.

A mental image of the Kraang weapon disguised as her mom appeared briefly before her eyes until she banished the apparition. She wasn't a pawn of the Kraang anymore. She was now a living weapon that would see them defeated and driven from her world. Together, they would all get their families back and save their home. They were ready.

* * *

Casey drove through the night. He'd been doing a lot of driving lately for someone who didn't have a license yet, but that didn't matter. He knew how. His dad had been teaching him over the years and he was good at it. If the state didn't recognize that yet, it was their problem.

He urged the van on, faster and faster, feeling April's quite determination thrumming in the passenger seat beside him. The guys were coiled in the back, ready to strike when the moment arose. Even Lily, now that the hysteria of her vision over her cousin had faded, seemed amped for battle, though Casey had no idea what she expected to do.

Still, if that Lisa person was with Buzzkill, then they probably would have ended up rescuing her anyway, with or without the turtles' solemn promises. They'd rescue her and everyone else. The Kraang were finally going down and it was going to be epic. Dad. Maria. Hang on. He was coming.


	77. Chapter 75: To Overcome VII

**To Overcome VII:**

Lisa snapped awake as her prison door opened. The bucket was empty and they had no food and water. That must mean… She scrambled against the wall. No! No! No!

Terrible as the waiting was, she'd rather have it drag on forever. She knew what was coming and rejected it with her entire mind and body. She'd fight. She wouldn't let them take her. Never!

The part of her she'd locked away, deep within herself all this time roared to life and she fought tooth and nail, thrashing wildly and trying to recall what little she'd learned of combat and self-defense.

It wasn't enough. They still pinned her and removed her chains. Grasping at the metal, she clung desperately to it for dear life until they ripped her free of it, twisting her arms into joint locks as they dragged her kicking and screaming from her cell.

All her efforts were to no avail. She was still powerless as they hauled her to ledge over the transformation sphere. That was it. She'd lost. All that waiting and preparation, forcing herself to eat and stay strong. For nothing. Maybe she should have tried dying.

She caught a glimpse of the fly man at his computer console and was suddenly hit with a fresh sense of horror and revulsion that she simply hadn't had the energy to muster in a long while. Maybe it was because she was about to end up like him.

Filtch handed him another orange vial to inject into the fluid chamber and marched up to face her while the fly man applied it, wearing a twisted, triumphant smile. No! She didn't want to be aware of this.

Her mind reeled away, returning to that safe place where she'd locked it away for the duration of this nightmare. She'd ride out her end here, safe and insulated from all the terrible things being done to her body. She'd once been so proud of it, but it was just a body, a lump of flesh and bone. It wasn't her.

Paying no mind to her momentary weightlessness before landing in something thick and viscous that seemed to suck her down, she locked mind away from her body. She could part from it and be safe here. Except she couldn't. So much pain. Too much pain. Her screams echoed off the hard metal and concrete until finally, blissfully, her consciousness abandoned her.


	78. Chapter 76: Brotherhood VIII

**Brotherhood VIII:**

Baxter Stockman flicked a glance to his new rat ward before returning his attention to his retro-mutagen experiments. How was he supposed to cure the beast's insanity? Mental illness wasn't his specialty. It didn't matter. He'd let Filtch waste his time on that before the Master mutated him to for his failures.

The customized mutagen was coming along great, except that they couldn't control their specimens. Neither he nor Filtch had any promising leads on mind control methodology and that would be the end of them if some miraculous progress didn't happen soon.

The most luck they'd had was combining Master Shredder's DNA with some of their more promising strains of arthropod mutagen.

The crab strain was very powerful, but the mutants, while unquestionably loyal, were not capable of advanced problem solving and following complex orders. Additionally, the expression in the Master's eyes when he saw the creepy deformed versions of himself made him want to hide. No, they'd need something better and soon.

Unless he could turn himself back into a man and escape this nightmare. It was going slow, especially since he could only work on it when Filtch was elsewhere. Presently, the little sneak was taking a nap after another round of additional and unnecessary stress testing on the lizard girl. What a waste of time. He'd get what was coming to him.

For now, the retro-mutagen must be perfected. At least he had an excuse if he got caught. He could say it was for Karai when they caught her. That he didn't trust the Kraang to produce it.

Unfortunately if they did catch her, he'd been in deep trouble when it didn't work. Customized mutagen wouldn't respond to same as regular mutagen. The odds of any retro-mutagen he produced for himself working on Karai were astronomical.

No, he needed to get this done in secret and soon. His gaze flicked back to the rat and his heart stopped. No. It couldn't be. They were dead. How could they be here? The turtles.

* * *

The disappointments were piling up. Ok, when Casey drove the party wagon past the blockade through all those Kraang mind controlled military soldiers from the Earth Defense Force it was pretty awesome, though he had to pretend it wasn't because he was trying to be supportive of Leo's decisions for a change. But the rest of the day had sucked so far.

Although Raph wouldn't show it, he was just as disappointed as Mikey that they couldn't go home. He knew that they wouldn't be able to, since the Kraang had the lair's location, but to not even be able to enter it without being fried just sucked.

And they'd lost Sensei again. Not that he'd been all there to begin with, but he'd gone into this knowing that. Sensei had told them himself that his spirit was separated from his body. But seeing it. He wasn't prepared for that. His wise and powerful father was acting like a mindless animal. It was just so…wrong.

Maybe Casey was right. Maybe April could fix him with her mind powers. Donnie said it was possible, so… His train of thought broke as he was slammed into the wall, again. Dammit! Focus already. Channel the rage. This Shredder mutant was tough, but he wasn't yielding. He'd buy April all the time she needed to save Sensei.

* * *

Donnie gracefully dodged the strikes of the shrimp based Shredder mutant. It was fast and vicious and surprisingly resilient. He didn't have time for this. He had to help Sensei. He had to figure out what was going on in this lab. But this thing would not stay down and he was tiring.

They needed to get Sensei to safety. Wherever that was. He hated not having a plan. But it felt like nothing could move forward until they got their father back. He'd have to trust April for now and buy her as much time as he could. This thing couldn't push him around. He was immovable like the mountain.

* * *

April gasped as Splinter pinned her to the wall, snapping at her face. She had to try again, even if her first attempt had only resulted in Splinter attacking poor Casey. What choice did she have? He might kill her if she did nothing.

She could do this. Her psychic skills had come a long way. She'd done it wrong before. Just reaching for memories was a mistake. This place held nothing but memories of the Shredder and those wouldn't call his spirit home. They would only instill this homicidal rage that he now directed at her.

She needed to give him memories. The good ones. Instead of opening his mind, she opened hers and connected it to his, recalling her training under his tutelage and her friendship with his sons, every happy memory she'd formed since meeting them all. It was like a beacon of love and comfort, luring his soul home.

She could actually feel it when his spirit connected with his body, finally done with wandering the spirit plane, for her own mind was now flooded with his happy memories of raising his children. Although they weren't hers, she would treasure them.

The connection broke and she was once more looking into the wise and peaceful eyes of her teacher and second father. Despite them being homeless and hunted in a near vacant alien controlled city, somehow she knew that everything would be ok.

* * *

Casey froze as Splinter attacked April. He knew he should be doing something to protect her. To save her. But he couldn't move. It wasn't just his terror holding him immobile, although that was part of it. Only she could do this and he needed to trust her. To believe in her.

Her expression fell into one of intense concentration and Splinter's attacks slowed. She was doing it. He hoped. He looked around. The whole place was filled with giant terrariums like it was the world's creepiest pet store. Most were empty though.

Across the room, he saw something move in one. It looked like April had Splinter covered, so he moved to check it out. The cell contained a semi-conscious lizard girl. He didn't think she'd be locked up if she were on the Shredder's side. The enemy of his enemy and all that.

Pulling out a baseball bat, he smashed open the lock. Looking inside it, the mechanism wasn't all that complicated. Donnie was just showing off when he'd hacked it. A few crossed wires later and the cage opened. The girl whimpered.

"Please. No more. Please stop." He wondered. Could it be?

"Lisa?" It looked like she was trying to push herself up, to force her eyes open.

"Uhhh. Mother? Father? Lily?" She couldn't maintain it and passed out again. Yup. This must be her. Looks like it was up to Casey Jones to keep the turtles' promise for them.

Without any further hesitation, he threw her over his shoulder and moved to check back on April. Hopefully she'd made some progress with Splinter, because it sure looked like the guys were getting their shells kicked.

* * *

Leo was fighting a losing battle with mutant crab Shredder. This really wasn't how he'd pictured his first rematch with his great foe. On the plus side, his leg wasn't bothering him at all. Too bad the thing was freaking invincible.

And there went his last katana into the mutagen vat. He had spares in the party wagon, but that wasn't going to do him much good now. But he wasn't giving in. No doubts to weigh him down. He could do this.

Suddenly his father was their completely disabling the monster with a few well-placed, powerful blows. His disbelief burst into joy as he watched his Sensei, restored and whole, darting around the room, saving each of his brothers. Everything was going to be ok now. They were a family again, whole and complete. And together they could do anything.

* * *

Lily gripped the laptop. Don had made it for her with Dr. Cluckingsworth's help. She didn't need to see it as she'd spent most of the ride back to New York working on the sound cues. She knew it now. It was finally time for her to contribute. To help her precious new friends. More than friends. Family.

The sound signals identified enemy location and type as they approached the party wagon and she activated the appropriate weapons to keep them silenced before they could call for reinforcements. Not as flexible or accurate as a person manning the weapons in person, but their get-away vehicle wasn't vulnerable.

Still, they were running out of most types of ammo and she was getting concerned. She couldn't keep this up much longer. Her earpiece crackled.

"We're on our way. Get it started."

"On it Leo." Shutting the lap top, she carefully set it in the compartment behind her and dove over into the front seats, groping frantically until she found the keys left in the ignition. No sooner had she gotten the engine roaring then everyone was pouring into the vehicle.

She barely had time to clamp her arms down on the front seats before they were peeling away from the building to who knew where. But they were safe and they were moving and nothing else mattered.

* * *

Mikey was practically bouncing with excitement. Sure he'd set off the very alarm he'd been trying to protect earlier, but he beaten Buzzkill all on his own. He'd used his newfound focus and taken him out. No need for help. No screw ups. At least until after the battle when he'd hit the alarm, but up to then everything had been awesome.

He'd made up for it though. They might have lost their home, but he was the one that found them a new one. If he couldn't live in the lair, Antonio's Pizza Place had to be the next best place to crash. It smelled so good here.

He hummed cheerfully to himself as he tucked Ice Cream Kitty into the freezer and started rummaging for food. They had their Sensei back, an awesome place to stay and plenty of pizza. Everything was going to be ok now.


	79. Chapter 77: Lost IV

**Lost IV:**

She wrapped her arms around her knees and breathed evenly, recalling the comforting sensation of soft warm fur. It made her feel safe. Cherished.

There was another, similar feeling, but not quite the same. It smelled of blade oil and incense and pierced her broken dreams with unyielding blue eyes. Faith. Hope. Memories of it filled her until she felt she might break.

She kept returning to this small vulnerable form then fleeing it back to her stronger serpentine form that was less apt to remember. To feel. It was lost. Everything was lost. She had to let it go. She would never get it back. It was time to let it go. She knew what she had to do.


	80. Chapter 78: Vendetta III

**Vendetta III:**

Amaya's stormed into Saki's main fortress in Japan, ready to beat some answers out of him if necessary. It had been nearly a year since she'd heard from Karai. She might be gone a lot, but they always kept in touch with much greater frequency. Karai would never let that lapse, so he was somehow responsible.

Admittedly, she might still be cross over their last explosive argument that had sent her off working in far flung corners of the world, but she would never allow her tumultuous relationship with Saki come between her and Karai and she expected the same non-interference from him.

Everyone here knew who she was and no one dared stop her. Instead they dropped into bows as she passed. She ignored them. Saki was the one with a desire for the dramatic, demanding overt signs of fealty.

She'd never understand. He was well aware of what true power was as he'd certainly accumulated enough of it by turning the Foot Clan into an international para-intelligence organization. Yet, he still wanted the empty trappings of power and authority anyway. It was as though his life was some play or movie, he envisioned in his head and it didn't have enough special effects to suit him.

The thought made her smile, despite her irritation. And that's why she kept falling back into bed with him no matter how intensely they quarreled. Their relationship was a toxic disaster that for the life of her she couldn't seem to avoid.

She strode into the throne room, mentally rolling her eyes at the name. It was empty. Fine. She pushed passed it, to the office behind hit where Souji, one of Saki's regional commanders shuffled through reports at a desk. Papers went flying in a flurry of surprise as she entered and he jumped to his feet, giving her a stiff bow.

"Headhunter." He'd wisely used the appropriate appellation. Not that her relationship with Saki was any secret, but she did not care to be called the Mistress and the last fool who had done so within earshot of her had served as an example to the rest.

"We did not expect…"

"Save it. Where is Karai?" He swallowed nervously. She knew him to be a skilled ninja and powerful warrior. But that was nothing compared to what she was capable of it and he knew it. They all did. Her reputation was well earned and her fights with Saki had given them all a first-hand view of what she could do.

"She is with the Master in New York." She stilled like a dangerous predator and he swallowed again.

"New York? As in New York City? The city under some mysterious lock down by the Earth Defense Force?" He just nodded.

"What are they doing there?"

"Before the lock down, the Master discovered Hamato Yoshi alive and hiding there, training a new force of ninja. He took Karai and his best lieutenants to finish it. We haven't seen him since he returned to Japan to hire Tiger Claw."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Tiger Claw was a powerful and respected rival and now apparently a valuable ally. But that information was insignificant. Hamato Yoshi lived and was replenishing his forces. Her sister's murderer yet lived.

Argument or not, how dare he not tell her. She deserved to end his life as much as the rest of them. With great effort, she set aside her rage. If Karai was trapped in New York, that could explain the lack of communication.

"Prepare a flight to America. I'm going to New York." Souji spluttered.

"But the city is completely closed off. How will you get in?" She glared at him and he went several shades paler.

"Do you truly think that will stop me?" He shook his head mutely.

"Make the arrangements." He nodded and looked like he was going to say something, but chickened out.

"What is it?"

"Before everything went mad, Lady Kitsune had a gift for the Master. If you are going to New York, perhaps you could take it with you." What did she look like, a delivery girl? What could be so important that he'd risk insulting her with this?

"A gift?" Her voice was incredulous and dripping with disdain. He pressed the intercom button.

"Bring it in." Letting the button go, he looked back at Amaya.

"You might find it a useful resource. Consider it at your disposal." Ok. Now she was curious. The door opened behind her. She turned and her mouth fell open in surprise, before a low chuckle rumbled out of her chest. Useful indeed. After Alopex, she should have known what kind of gifts Kitsune offered.

"Headhunter. Allow me to present Ninjara."


	81. Chapter 79: To Overcome VIII

**To Overcome VIII:**

Lily was still a little wobbly after the wild ride to Antonio's. The place smelled strongly of pizza, crazy bread and calzones. Not an unpleasant smell, but a bit overpowering. It would take some getting used to. She could hear the others talking as they settled in to this new place and willed herself to focus on the conversation.

"Got our guest settled in." Casey was speaking.

"Where?" Leo responded. Guest? Who were they talking about?

"In the pantry. I tried to make some bedding out of packing material, but…we should probably get something real to sleep on for all of us."

"I'm not complaining, I mean no one should be left prisoner in that place, but I'm not sure it was wise bringing her back to our new base of operations. She is a stranger."

"Leo, that's Lily's cousin Lisa. I think."

"What?!" Now everyone, including Lily responded. She groped around wildly towards the sound of Casey's voice until she got a hold of his arm which was a little gross and sweaty from being in the armor he must have just stripped off.

"Lisa? Are you sure?"

"Well she responded to her name and called out yours before passing out again."

"Passing out? Is she ok?" Something dinged behind her.

"Pizza's ready."

"Mikey!"

"What? If I'd just been broken out of that place, some real food is the first thing I'd want. Here you go Sensei." She could hear Splinter sigh with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Thank you my son." She could hear Mikey distributing the food, but didn't hold it against him. Comfort food was one of Mikey's go-to solutions. He meant well.

"Fine. I'll take some in to her, but Mikey not everyone is hungry after something bad happens to them." It sounded like Raph was making a serious effort to be patient with Mikey. Something bad? Well she knew that from her vision, but hearing it renewed the terror that she'd been trying to keep out of her mind.

"I'll get the medical supplies out of the party wagon and see if she's injured." Don's voice faded as he left the building while talking.

"If she's injured?" They said something bad had happened, but maybe not injury? Well isn't imprisonment something bad? A hand rested on her shoulder.

"Uh, Lily, about Lisa…" Leo was talking to her now.

"…I'm sorry to tell you this, but she's a mutant now." Lily swallowed heavily. She'd hoped they'd get to Lisa before her vision occurred, but that was apparently too much to hope for.

"I saw that man push her into the mutagen in my vision, so…she's alive right?"

"Yes. She's definitely alive." Tears welled in Lily's eyes.

"In the vision, it hurt so much, I thought for sure that she was dying."

"The transformation from the mutagen was the most physically painful experience of my life. I'm grateful that my sons were too young to remember it, but as much as it hurts it doesn't kill." Master Splinter. Yes, he would know what it felt like.

"As long as she's alive, we can figure this out and get through it. As long as she's alive."

* * *

Lisa gradually became aware of lying in something soft that smelled of cardboard. Was this some kind of trick? A new trap to break her mind? Ever since that agonizing transformation, her world had been a hazy, semi-conscious mix of varying brands of pain.

She'd been hurting for so long that comfort seemed unnatural and wrong. She didn't trust it. It could only be the prelude to more and greater suffering. She couldn't be curled up safe and warm somewhere that smelled of…was that pizza?

Maybe she had finally died. This really wasn't what she expected death to be like. Her eyes cracked open and she saw a single unadorned incandescent bulb and shelves of produce, flour and other foodstuffs. Someone was moving beside her.

"Easy now. I brought something to eat, when you're ready. Don't try to sit up yet." The voice sounded kind, concerned and masculine. But she didn't know it. Turning her eyes towards it, she saw a giant green eyed man turtle in a red mask holding a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it.

Another one of that monster's creations come to torment her. A trap! It was another trap! She tried to scream, but nothing came out and her body barely responded and she scrambled to get away. Dizziness washed over her from the exertion and her vision wavered. Just before passing out again, she could hear the voice, laden with indignant disbelief.

"Really?"

* * *

Raph carried the pizza to the pantry, asking himself again why he'd volunteered to do this. Because Mikey asked him to and he'd used those annoying puppy dog eyes. He couldn't count the number of stupid things, he and his brothers had agreed to because Mikey could do that. Like when Mikey had convinced him and his brothers that they should let Mikey try to jump them with his skateboard. They'd even dragged an enormous, violent, mentally unstable crocodile mutant home once because of it. Mikey.

His breath caught in his throat a little as he entered the room. She was a lizard mutant, but not huge like leatherhead or deadly like Karai. Her body was still generally the shape of a human girl's.

Even though she didn't have any apparel, it didn't seem indecent as she seemed to wear her glossy scales like clothing. Her chest and underbelly were a pale yellow color, while the rest of her was a vibrant green that reminded him of spring at April's family farm.

She had a long, thick tail that tapered to a point. Her hands and feet appeared surprisingly human shaped, despite having delicate claws in place of fingernails. At least she still had the right number of digits. His three fingered hands felt unusually clumsy holding the plate of pizza. He knelt down beside her.

Despite being a reptile, she'd managed to retain her soft looking, shoulder length brown hair that cascaded around her head in a fuzzy halo. He wondered what her face used to look like. For now, it tapered down to an elegant snout, giving the shape of her closed eyes a pleasant angle.

She moaned a little and started to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and although they weren't focused on him, he saw that they were rich, earthy brown. Pretty.

He could have smacked himself right then. What was he thinking? This was Lily's cousin who'd been tormented by people he was soon going to take apart piece by piece. She didn't need anyone gaping at her like a fool. Still… No! Food. He was bringing her food.

"Easy now. I brought something to eat, when you're ready. Don't try to sit up yet." She turned her eyes towards him and he held up the plate with what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

Then her eyes widened and flooded with terror and she futilely tried to escape the monster before her. His heart sank as hopes he hadn't even realized had taken root were crushed. What a fool. Slamming his emotional barriers back in place he looked away from her fear.

"Really?"

She'd fainted. Who was she to be terrified of him? It's not like she was any less of a freak now. A pretty freak. Aww dammit!

* * *

Donnie nearly collided with Raph as he carried his makeshift medical equipment to the pantry. He could feel the tension rolling off of his brother. Experience had taught him and his brothers to duck for cover when Raph was this way. What happened?

"Be careful. Apparently we freak her out." Oh.

"You know Raph, her only experience with mutants has been in the Shredder's prison laboratory." His brother's expression softened a bit. Not much, but a bit.

"You'll still panic her."

"I'll help." Donnie felt his heart jump and almost dropped everything in his arms at the sound of April's voice beside him.

"Y-y-yeah. That would be great. I mean not great that she's been hurt, but that you want to help. Not that you aren't a helpful person because you're really nice and compassionate, I mean…"

"Come on Donnie." She smiled and gestured to him to follow her into the pantry. He could hear Raph's annoyed huff behind him.

"Whatever. Hey Casey. You want go scavenging? Maybe we can bash in some Kraang while we're at it."

"Definitely. Goongala!" Donnie just shook his head. Well, that's how Raph dealt with stress. At least he had someone to go with him. April was seated next to Lisa on the ground and gave him an encouraging smile as he entered the room.

He would swear that his brain short circuited, causing his feet to tangle with the next step and spill his equipment everywhere as he face planted. Why? He was a fully trained ninja. This should not happen. Why? She just sighed and gave him some privacy to pick himself up as she gathered together his scattered apparatus.

With monumental effort he tried not to think about April beside him, handing him whatever tools he asked for and focused in on Lisa. It became easier as the subtle scars written across her body suggested that she'd been physically tortured. But she had a mutant healing factor, like them, so she had recovered, physically anyway. Ultimately her body needed no medical treatment. Her mind might be another story.

* * *

Lisa's eyes fluttered open again. The turtle with the green eyes was gone. In his place sat a human girl with blue eyes and red hair. A new lab assistant? She was gathering up what looked like haphazardly assembled garbage and handing it to…another man turtle. This one had brown eyes, a purple mask and…a gap tooth?

She was prepared to panic again, but something in the way he gazed at the girl stopped her. No one at the lab looked at anyone with such affection. It was painfully obvious that he was smitten and equally obvious that it was not going to end well, the way the girl guiltily avoided his endearing gaze. The girl noticed Lisa was awake and raised her hands as though to prove she meant no harm.

"Easy. We're not going to hurt you. You're safe now." The turtle beside her froze, uncertain what to do.

"Where am I? Who are you? What do you want with me?" The words pouring out of her mouth sounded foreign to her. Her voice was hers but she hadn't really heard it much beyond screaming lately and couldn't really remember it sounding so meek and frightened.

The girl placed a gentle hand on her wrist and she felt an inexplicable sense of calm fill her, driving the fear away. How? She'd been scared for so long, she'd forgotten what it felt like to be safe.

"We rescued you. You're safe. This is our home…for now. I'm April and this is Donatello. You can call him Donnie." The turtle nodded stiffly. Could it be true? She was finally free. Hope blossomed in her chest and she prayed this wasn't some cruel trick. If that was true that meant the other one had been sincere. The kind voice and concerned green eyes flashed in her memory for a moment.

"Where is the one who was here before?" Donnie fidgeted.

"Oh Raph? He went out for supplies. Sorry if he startled you before." Raph. So that was his name. Now that the fear was gone, she could recall the hurt in his expression when she'd freaked out. She should probably apologize to him next time she saw him. With effort, she tried to sit up and they both reacted to assist her.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why did you come to rescue me?" Donnie smiled.

"Well, we went there to rescue our father. Helping you out too was a stroke of luck." Luck? Was fate finally done kicking her in the teeth? It was weird having bits and pieces of her old personality resurface at random. She hadn't felt up to being cynical in a while.

With a groan, she rubbed her face and stiffened. Something was wrong. The shape of her face was wrong. And he skin felt scaly. Pulling her hands away, she stared down at them and the rest of her body in horror. She was a monster. That bastard had turned her into a monster!

April's hand was on her shoulder and some of the hysteria was held at bay, leaving her to contemplate her state with unclouded awareness.

"It's ok. Donnie's a genius." The turtle blushed.

"He made a cure for my dad when this happened to him. I'm sure that if you give him a little time, he'll be able to help you too." April had thrown her hope like a life preserver and she clung to it desperately. Maybe her life could be salvaged.

"Lisa?" A familiar voice drew her attention to the door with a mixture of joy, relief and trepidation.

"Lily?" She was there, feeling her way into the room. Alive. She was alive.

"You're alive? Lily when you disappeared I thought…I thought…" Guilt and regret filled her cousin's face.

"Oh Lisa, I'm so sorry. I should have contacted you, but things sort of spiraled out of control. I'll never worry you again. I promise. I'm just so glad you're safe. When I had that vision of you in that place…I thought they killed you Lisa."

A strangled sob startled her before she realized that it had come from her own throat. How many times had she wished that to be the case? Lily staggered towards her and she panicked again.

"No! Don't touch me! Not when I'm, I'm…" Despite her command, Lily wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. She knew. Oh God, she had to have felt the scales. She knew. She waited for her cousin to scream and reel back in revulsion. But Lily didn't flinch away at the contact. Lily was crying into her shoulder.

"Did you really think it would matter to me?"

"Lily?"

"Don't you remember what you said to me when you found out about my visions?"

"Lily."

"Did you really think this could drive me away? I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this together. I promise. I'm here Mona Lisa." An emotional damn burst within her and she embraced Lily, sobbing.

"I know Water Lily, I know."


	82. Chapter 80: The Price of Wisdom VI

**The Price of Wisdom VI:**

Splinter settled into his foreign new home as best he could, using some of the leftover ingredients along with what April and Casey had been able to scavenge to make his best attempt at cupcakes. He probably should have asked Michelangelo for help, but he'd wanted it to be a surprise for all them when they got back.

It was the best he could do for them. This depressing place was a poor substitute for home and not where he would have chosen to celebrate their sixteenth mutation day. But they were all trying to make the best of it.

The windows were boarded up. All but one of the restaurant tables had been removed to make room for the pallets they spread their borrowed bed rolls on and a couch that they had rescued from a nearby building.

Donatello's lab was coming along, although he knew that his son wasn't thrilled that exiting the new lair through the tunnel dug into the floor and going to the bathroom, both required passing through his workspace. His brilliant son hated distractions while he worked.

There were a few personal items that Leonardo, Raphael and Casey had bravely scavenged from their old lair and some homemade decorations from Michelangelo. Still it did not feel like home to him.

He said it would serve and that was true, but he missed the home where he'd raised his family. Every room there was filled with memories, more happy than sad. It didn't matter. His mind was restored to his body and he had his sons, alive and whole. That was more important than anything else.

He felt a pang in his heart as he recalled his one missing child. Miwa. The boys were out looking for her again. They had a good lead this time, given to them by Miwa herself in their last encounter. Three possible locations.

Donatello had completed more of the retro-mutagen that he'd started months ago at the farmhouse, but after it hadn't worked on Lisa, he saw the trepidation in his son's eyes. But Leonardo wasn't ready to give up so easily.

At the thought of Lisa, he glanced over to the pantry where she'd holed herself up since the retro-mutagen had failed. He considered offering them some tea, but knew that Lily was with her and would say if they needed anything.

The two girls had been inseparable since being reunited, which meant that Michelangelo had been a constant tag along to them. He'd actually had to tell his son to give them some much needed space. Michelangelo had not understood, but obeyed sadly.

It was so much in his nature to try and bring joy where he found sadness that he didn't always see when a problem was beyond the power of his unlimited cheerfulness. He'd be able to offer more solace later. For now, Lisa needed the time with Lily, whom she trusted implicitly, to unburden herself of the suffering she'd experienced.

Lily had passed along enough of the information, in case they needed to know it in their conflict against the Shredder. It appeared that he was trying to create an army of customized mutants and was testing the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of each strain they produced on innocent victims. Lily kept the details to herself, but Splinter and his sons could fill in the blanks. This could not be allowed to continue.

When the Kraang invasion was stopped, they would handle it, his brave sons. His hands trembled at the thought of his children at the Shredder's mercy, but the suffering of that girl and others could not be ignored.

He'd hoped Donatello could offer her some peace by restoring her to her true form, but it seemed that customized mutagen did not respond to the retro-mutagen he'd synthesized. It did not bode well for his Miwa either.

Well, as Lily's family, Lisa would have a home with them as long as she needed it, although that raised some concerns for Raphael. When he'd seen him storm out of her room, that first day, he'd guessed what must have happened.

Raphael felt everything so much more intensely than the others and as a result was very careful to guard and protect himself. He never expected anything but fear and distrust from humans and did not allow himself the luxury of hope.

But Lisa had not been human and his guard must have been down when she'd panicked at the sight of him. It was an understandable reaction, given what she'd been through but now his son was more closed off than ever before.

He'd watched as the girl looked for an opportunity to apologize for her behavior and ultimately became fed up with Raphael's icy reserve towards her. Now their interactions were filled with challenging taunts and snide comments intended to keep the other at bay.

He'd considered intervening, but knew that would do little but embarrass them into further self-destructive behavior. Perhaps after the Kraang invasion was dealt with he'd give Raphael a subtle lesson in interpersonal skills and empathy. Maybe that would help give their growing family some peace.


	83. Chapter 81: Loyalty and Honor II

**Loyalty and Honor II:**

Dirk had combed the national park and surrounding area from the itinerary, interviewed all the park rangers and law enforcement personal working the case and examined all case files and evidence pertinent to the investigation. He was now at the point of spooling through bus terminal footage obtained by dropping the Howard name to the right people. After months of work, he was now unequivocally certain that Lisa had never left New York in the first place to go on her trip.

The girl using her ticket looked similar to be sure. Similar enough to avoid closer scrutiny by the authorities. But he knew Lisa, had watched her grow up during the years, and physical resemblance wasn't enough on the grainy footage. The girl using the ticket simply did not have the confidence in her mannerisms and bearing to be Lisa. Her movement and body language were all wrong.

Although he didn't know the Dr. Mason she was going with, the bio he'd read on her suggested that the scattered, silly woman in the film wasn't her either. So if they hadn't left New York, but their leaving had been staged, Lisa's disappearance was no accident but a deliberate premeditated act.

He needed to go to New York to continue the investigation, but recent events would make that difficult. He could get in if he wanted to, but he wasn't sure what investigative measures he'd be able to take while inside. First, he needed to report back to A. J. with his findings and hear what A. J. wanted him to do. Lisa was his niece after all, so this was his call.


	84. Chapter 82: Lost V

**Lost V:**

The annoying buzzing creature flitted nearby and she struck at it, smashing her snout into the glass wall again. She'd lost count of how many times she'd repeated this error, but she couldn't overcome her instinct to attack, no matter that she knew the outcome.

Irritated, she slithered back to the rock under her heat lamp. It was her only consolation for being imprisoned in this place. She never stopped being aware of the walls that constricted her movement her freedom.

She'd been on her way to a new burrow, deep and hidden, one where no one would ever find her. But the instincts were becoming stronger, slowly overpowering her mind. That's how they got her. With a baited trap. There was still a part of her that was humiliated by that, but most of her was just agitated to be in this cage.

With a hissing sigh, she closed her eyes and replayed the same memory over and over. The one of the blue eyed turtle who'd tried to save her and his sorrow when she'd said goodbye. No matter how much of a snake she became, she would always hold onto that.


	85. Chapter 83: Brotherhood IX

**Brotherhood IX:**

Leo tapped his foot impatiently, going over the plan in his head as Donnie prepared the retro-mutagen creating substance that Mikey's bumbling had miraculously produced. They would still rescue the citizens of New York from Dimension X but first they would save the world from the mutagen missile. And they'd do it without the help of the Mighty Mutanimals.

Mikey was looking forlornly into the hole that Leatherhead had disappeared into an hour ago and Leo felt a pang of remorse. Maybe he'd been a bit hasty. Raph was right when he had jumped into his argument with Slash, suggesting that both a ground and aerial assault would work best as opposed to one or the other. But by then, he and Slash were too furious with each other to listen.

He knew that he'd promised himself that he'd give Slash a chance for Raph's sake, but whenever he looked at him, all he could see was Mikey and Donnie's injuries and Raph fighting for his life while defending Leo against his best friend. He couldn't make peace with those memories.

Besides the way he treated Pigeon Pete was unacceptable. Team decoy? What kind of leader used a team member that way? Like the way Leo used Mikey? A traitorous voice in his head reminded him of all the times he'd used Mikey as enemy bait.

Like when they'd tied cheese to his head and pulled him down the streets like a fishing lure during the Rat King's second attack. Or when he'd convinced him to be the superhero Turflytle to lure out April's father during his bat mutation. But he would never allow Mikey to be injured while baiting their enemies. Unlike Slash. Maybe. He'd never actually seen Slash abandon any of his people.

Leo shook his head to clear his doubts. This mission was too important. He'd revisit his conflict with Slash when New York and the world were safe. For now, he needed to be like the wind and let nothing weigh him down as he led his team to victory.

* * *

Donnie sealed Mikey's retro-mutagen converter in a protective container and reviewed his Kraang hacking tactics, keeping in mind Kurtzman's intel. But anger encroached on the edges of his concentration.

After all these years of wishing he had someone to talk to, someone who actually understood what he was saying when he talked about his projects or anything remotely academic, he'd finally gotten what he'd wanted. And he wanted to put Rockwell's fat head through a wall.

Sure the man was brilliant, he grudgingly admitted. But he was also a pretentious, arrogant ass. He wasn't a colleague to share ideas with, but a smug know-it-all rival who reveled in stealing Donnie's thunder and unjustly looking down on him.

He couldn't help but suspect that he was actually smarter than Rockwell and that the jerk was using his telepathic powers to steal ideas from him. It wasn't fair. Why did nothing ever work out like it should?

On some level, he knew Raph's suggestion was right, but he was glad Leo shot them down. The mere thought of working with Rockwell was infuriating. There was just no way. Even if Kurtzman insisted that it was the only way.

He felt a pang of guilt as he thought of the intrepid investigator languishing on the couch. He trusted and respected Kurtzman, but he just couldn't work with Rockwell. Feeling the scientist's disdain anew, he had to stop and clench his fists until he calmed down.

He didn't have time for these distractions. New York and the world were at stake and he needed to be ready. Focus on something good, like the expressions that would be on his brother's faces when he revealed his latest invention to fight the Kraang. It was so much more than the water tower they saw. Yeah, watching his brother's eat their taunts would make this day so much better.

* * *

Raph felt torn. He'd promised himself that he'd stop second guessing Leo's orders and cooperate with team when his brother lay dying in the farmhouse bathtub, but he was sure that Leo was wrong about this. Slash wasn't a bad leader and he did care for his people. Raph could see it in him and didn't think but knew that it wasn't wishful thinking.

They should be teaming up and combining their tactics. Kurtzman said it was the only way and he'd been the one to give them this chance to save the world. So why wasn't Leo willing to try?

He knew why. Memories of the night Spike mutated into Slash still gave him nightmares, but Slash was different now. Better. You'd think a guy capable of seeing the potential good in a princess of the Foot clan could try seeing it in Slash too.

Suddenly, Raph felt guilty about all the flack he'd given Leo over Karai. Sure he'd been right every time, but in a way Leo had been right too. He could see the way she fought with her mutant nature not to attack them, not to attack Leo when they'd tried to save her. Yeah there was good in her and he knew better than anyone how it felt to be at war with yourself.

He glanced towards the door to the pantry which had become Lisa and Lily's room and had to mentally slap himself. Don't go there. He'd done everything he could to keep her out after that first bitter encounter, but hearing Lily's edited retelling of what those bastards had done to her, set his blood to boil with the need to avenge her.

But she'd been human and would be human again someday with Donnie's brilliant help and he'd always be a mutant. He needed to take the advice he kept generously dealing out to Donnie and let it go. But still… He couldn't deal with that right now.

Nothing mattered but the coming battle. He could and would lose himself in the fight, forging this storm within him into an implement of destruction. His anger was a weapon his enemies would learn to fear.

* * *

Mikey whimpered. He didn't understand why they'd split up. They'd made a great team with the Mighty Mutanimals, which was an awesome name by the way. He kind of wished he'd picked it for his family. They'd kicked some serious Kraang butt at the warehouse. Sure Kurtzman had been hit and nearly killed, but that did not diminish the awesomeness of their fight.

Leo must have his reasons. Leo always had good reasons. That's why he was the leader. But he missed Leatherhead. He hadn't seen his friend in forever and had totally been looking forward to another super team up of ultimate awesomeness. It didn't seem fair. But Leo knew best.


	86. Chapter 84: To Trust IV

**To Trust IV:**

Ninjara followed the Headhunter closely, knowing full well the price of any slip up. They had so many hostages that they wouldn't mind sacrificing a handful every now and then to keep her in line if they felt even the slightest defiance. If she ever hoped to save them, she needed to play this carefully.

The main roads to the city were heavily guarded and under a great deal of scrutiny by intelligence agencies and aggressive journalists or so the Headhunter said. And thus they were coming upon the city from a less obvious route. Stealth was the priority.

At the Headhunter's insistence they approached on foot, avoiding roads when they could. Ninjara had excellent endurance and did not slow the Headhunter down, careful not to show that she could have surpassed her endurance if she so choose. As long as the Headhunter held her leash, she had to be careful. It wasn't her life at stake.

Unfortunately, the entire perimeter of the city was guarded, but not by the human soldiers at the main thoroughfares. These were near invisible shadows, only detectable by the slight visual distortion caused by looking through them.

She'd seen one briefly become visible during their surveillance. It was sleek and silvery, glowing with blocky, angled veins of pink light as it levitated about. She'd never seen anything like it.

The Headhunter was becoming impatient. She'd make a move soon. Ninjara was sure of it. The Headhunter led her towards the guarded edge of the city, where they line of sentries demarked an exact line for what would otherwise have been a gradual change from suburbs to city.

"It's time. Ninjara, you will go out and distract those things to give me an opportunity to ambush them." Ninjara clamped down on her instinctive reaction to gasp or argue. How was she to fight such things? It didn't matter. She had her orders and she would carry them out with courage and honor as befits a warrior. She would not cower or grovel.

"Go now." Without hesitation, Ninjara stepped out of hiding and strode boldly toward the border. She'd identified the silhouette of the sentry guarding this point, but wasn't sure what to expect from it yet.

Suddenly, a bolt of pink lightning shot out at her and she was forced to quickly roll aside before almost immediately dodging the next one. Somehow she would have to keep this up for as long as possible.

* * *

Slash moved effortlessly through the city alleys. He'd prefer the rooftops, but there were too many Kraang stealth ships this close to the border. He'd return to the rooftops when he circled back into the interior.

He frequently made solo runs. The whole team was only necessary when Kurtzman found something big for them to deal with. Otherwise, Leatherhead was content to brood in his corner, Rockwell played with his science toys and Pigeon Pete chattered on nonsensically to the mild annoyance of all.

In this case, they had an important mission to complete, the most important, and he needed to clear his head of the anger and bitterness that threatened to consume him while Rockwell prepared the hack he'd need to disarm the mutagen missile that would transform the Earth.

There was no room for error and he needed to be at the top his game for the world and for his team. He liked his team and felt deeply protective of them and would forever be grateful to Kurtzman for finding them all and bringing them together. But like his lost friend and brother, sometimes he just needed some time on his own when things got under his shell.

Thinking about Raph and the other turtles wasn't helping. They'd been MIA for months he'd started to accept the unpleasant possibility that they had died fighting the invasion. That Raph might be dead. Now they were back and he didn't know what to think.

It was a massive relief to know that his brother lived and infuriating to wonder where he'd been all this time. He knew that Kurtzman wanted him to work together with them, but Raph's brothers were obnoxious beyond all tolerance.

Granted some of that might come from his initial hatred of them for how they'd treated Raph over the years and his mild case of violent insanity upon mutating, but now after some time and distance, becoming his own person, he suspected there was a genuine conflict of personalities.

Leo was the most judgmental and overbearing jerk he'd ever met, on a high horse so far up his shell he'd never be able to get off even if he wanted to. Leo thought he had him all figured out as a mindless violent bruiser and there was no changing that opinion now that it was set. That Leo thought he didn't care about his team irked him to know end. No wonder Raph complained about Leo to him constantly.

What he didn't understand was why he defended him too. No, he understood that. No matter how annoying his own people could be, he'd still defend them to the death against any foe. Raph felt the same way about his brothers.

Even Donnie, the fussy know-it-all who looked down on the rest of his less brainy brothers, or Mike, the selfish prankster who couldn't take anything seriously to save his life, unless it was pushing Raph's buttons. They hadn't changed at all.

Although Leatherhead swore that they were good and noble friends, particularly Mikey, Slash remembered them for all their faults. He was the one who'd had to live with them for years after all. And that's why he knew all his anger was misdirected and that he was lying to himself.

He did remember everything now and there was so much more happiness than sorrow and pain. For all their faults, they were his family whom he'd come to realize that he loved and respected. And he'd blown it forever with one night of insanity as his mind had struggled to adjust to the violent changes that had transformed his body and very identity.

He'd hoped…but Leo's unyielding rejection of all his overtures of peace stung him anew. There was no repairing that bridge he'd burned. He respected Kurtzman, but there was no way a team up was going to happen. It made Leatherhead sad, but Rockwell was on his side. And Pigeon Pete had nothing meaningful to contribute as usual.

Needless to say, things were tense back at base and he needed to get his head straight if he was going to lead them against the Kraang. It was up to him to save the city, no not just the city, the world and he couldn't do that with all these old conflicts rattling about in his head.

One of the stealth ships was attacking and he ducked for cover. Looking around the corner of the building, he quickly assessed the situation. There was a fox girl, fighting a stealth ship. By herself. With a sword. He had to admire her moxie, but it was all she could do to keep ahead of the lightning attacks.

It looked like she could use some help and he didn't mind turning more Kraang tech into tin cans. He'd been at their mercy more than enough to enjoy crushing them with an almost childlike glee.

He readied his spiked mace, when he heard the advance of a small Kraangdroid unit, probably summoned by the stealth ship. She'd never keep dodging if she had to fight off the droids too.

He charged into the middle of them, taking more than a few laser blasts with his shell and thick hide, but avoiding the majority with grace and agility most wouldn't expect from a guy of his size.

His turn. Mace flying, the Kraang scattered like screechy little bowling pins. He crushed their metal bodies and splatted their evil little brains. When the bloodlust faded, he took stock of the carnage. Most dead, but a handful had gotten past him and were closing on her.

Before he could give chase, a shadowy figure dropped onto the stealth ship from atop a building. After a few moments of riding it like the world's most graceful rodeo cowboy, the figure flipped off onto another nearby building.

Moments later the ship shuddered with a violent, but muffled internal explosion and faltered before veering towards the ground and crashing into a nearby building. Untrusting of this development, Slash ducked out of sight again before looking for the fox girl.

She was facing off against the three droids who'd managed to get past him. She was serious and unflinching as she waited for the battle to begin, completely still except for the wind that ruffled her red fur and long black hair tied up in a ponytail.

Her purple quilted armor and two swords at her belt reminded Slash of the paintings of samurai in the dojo of his old home. Was that what she was? Her paw moved to the hilt of her larger sword and she slid one foot back along the ground to widen her stance.

The Kraangdroids leveled their blasters at her and he was momentarily tempted to intervene, shadowy figure or not. Then she was a blur of motion, too fast for the clumsy Kraang to aim at.

They could barely get their initial volley of shots started before she was in front of the first one. Time slowed for Slash as he watched her blade fly free from her scabbard and arc through her enemy.

Before the first could fall into two pieces spraying the ground with purple Kraang blood, she was already on to the next one, impaling the Kraang within the robot on the point of her sword, before withdrawing it in a single smooth spinning step that brought her lowered weapon upwards at an angle, cutting the remaining droid in twain in another burst of Kraang gore.

It was quite the show and Slash found himself smiling and impressed. Fox girl had some moves. Then she cleaned her weapon on the sash she wore as a belt before replacing it in her scabbard.

She glanced up at the building where the shadowy figure had landed. For just an instant, he'd swear that she was glaring before her expression went blank and she moved to climb the building.

It was time he got back anyway. They had a job to do. As Slash raced effortlessly back through the city, he couldn't help but wonder about the strange fox girl he'd seen.


	87. Chapter 85: Vendetta IV

**Vendetta IV:**

Ninjara followed a few steps behind her as she moved forward. She had to admit, the girl was surprisingly skilled. She'd thought of her as cannon fodder at first, but that had been a mistake. After Alopex, she should have known that Kitsune wouldn't offer anything that wasn't immensely useful.

She also wondered about the enormous turtle creature that had stepped into the edges of their battle. Not that it mattered. He hadn't interfered. In fact he'd made things go more smoothly. And she didn't have time to waste tracking him down.

They finally made it to the cathedral in which Saki was supposed to have set up shop. Of course it would be a cathedral. Nothing less could hold Saki's ego. A line of foot soldiers moved to block her entry, but something was off about them. They seemed almost robotic.

"Stand down." The soldiers backed off into the shadows as an enormous skeletal werewolf stepped forward. She eyed it warily, ready to end it if that became necessary. For now, she'd see how this would play out.

"Don't recognize me?" The way he spoke was familiar. No. It couldn't be.

"Bradford?" It…he flinched at her realization laced with shock and disgust.

"Headhunter." He acknowledged. She'd never liked the arrogant young American that Saki had raised up, but how had this happened to him?

"Take me to Saki." Bradford nodded and led her into the building and eventually into yet another throne room. Of course it was another throne room. How else could he be expected to hold court?

His eyes narrowed appraisingly at the sight of her in a combination of lust and irritation. She would have liked to deny that she had a similar reaction upon seeing him, but that would be a lie and there was no point in deceiving herself. It was as it had ever been between them.

"Amaya."

"Saki." No one else dared called either of them by their actual names. His glanced flicked questioningly behind her.

"Ninjara. A gift from Kitsune. I've already tested her out and she has potential." He nodded.

"Bradford, take Ninjara to the dojo and assess her against the Footbots." The werewolf bowed and had the fox girl follow him out of the room. Footbots? That explained what was off about them.

"What are you doing here Amaya?"

"Checking up on Karai. She hasn't contacted me in months. I will see her." The edges of Saki's eyes tightened in grief, in a way she hadn't seen since…Shen. No. Not Karai. If he had allowed her to be killed, she would lop his head off herself.

"Follow me." Not dead then. But not good. She would face it whatever it was. So she followed him down into the bowels of the building as it transitioned from dungeon, because a typical prison wouldn't be enough for Saki, to science laboratory. He spoke as they walked.

"I assume that you've seen the aliens."

"I have."

"Obviously they are invading and intend to terraform the planet with a substance called mutagen. Contact with it causes things to change."

"Is that what happened to Bradford?"

"Yes. I'm still unlocking the secrets of this weapon, especially as it has already been used against me. Stand aside Xever." She hid further shock as the robot-legged fish monster guarding the door to the main lab stepped aside to obey. This was what remained of that cocky young street rat?

"I suppose you know why I'm here." She ground her teeth as she responded.

"Yes. You should have told me. I deserve my vengeance too."

"You never answer calls when you're working and I wouldn't leak such sensitive information over unsecure channels." Angrily, she acknowledged that he had a point. He accepted her silent acknowledgement and forged ahead.

"Yoshi has been fittingly transformed into a rat by the substance and goes by Splinter now. He trains mutant turtle freaks to wage war on the Foot Clan. Recently he has turned the mutagen against us, but I will master it myself and he will regret it." He stopped in front of an enormous glass terrarium with a mutant snake within, napping under a heat lamp. Why had he brought her here? No. No!

"Karai has been Splinter's most recent casualty." Amaya stared dumbfounded in horror at her poor niece. Her blood boiled as her heart grieved.

"Karai." She whispered the name as though it were sacred.

"Against my better judgement, I have formed an alliance with the aliens. They are to create a cure for her in return for my aid in conquering the world. I hope there will be something left to salvage when I have her back, but even if there isn't, she is worth the world to me."

Amaya wanted to yell at him for being a fool, but that would be hypocrisy. The world seemed an easy sacrifice if it meant getting Karai back. And all because that bastard Shen had been forced to marry had put them in this position.

"Is he still in the city?"

"Yes. With his freak turtles." Saki's voice was heavy with hate and she concurred.

"Then I will hunt them down like the vermin they are. This crime will not stand."


	88. Chapter 86: The Cost of Power IV

**The Cost of Power IV:**

The Shredder sat on his throne, anger clawing at his stomach. They'd ruined everything. Again. Splinter and his freaks. Now he was forced to rely on those bumbling fools Stockman and Filtch to cure his precious Karai.

He did not have much confidence in their abilities beyond designing new strains of customized mutagen. They couldn't have managed even a prototype of retro-mutagen while that freak child belonging to Splinter had produced enough to reverse the mutation of all the citizens of New York.

There was still some hope. The mind control project. Henceforth, he'd have them put all their resources into that. Once he had that, he'd have any army the likes of which the world had never seen answering to his every whim. Splinter and his freaks would be powerless against it.

But he would not destroy them all. Splinter's pets would belong to him and he'd turn them on him before finishing the rat himself. And once he had those turtles under his control, he'd make the smart one do what his own scientists could not. He'd order him to restore his lost child. One way or another, he would have Karai back.


	89. Chapter 87: Brotherhood X

**Brotherhood X:**

Raph stared forlornly around his home. It wasn't the first time that he'd seen it since coming back to New York, but stealth and survival had taken up his attention. He'd been focused on the mission. This was the first time that he was really taking in and processing what he was seeing.

Their home was littered with broken Kraangdroids and rubble. Everything that they'd carefully scavenged, fixed and built had been torn down. All their treasured personal possessions that could not easily be replaced if they could be replaced at all were scattered and broken.

He tried recalling some of the memories of his childhood, but they just didn't fit in this battleground. He knew that he wasn't alone in this feeling. He'd seen Leo forlornly examining this Space Heroes pinball machine and heard it Donnie's laments when he'd seen what little remained of his lab.

But those seemed like broken things or lost effort to his brothers. He wasn't sure that they felt the same sense of violation that he did. This didn't feel like his home anymore. It felt like the Kraang had stolen that from him.

Suddenly, he wished that they'd done a lot more unnecessary collateral damage while in Dimension X. It would serve them right. Well he wouldn't let them take this from him. If it wasn't his home now, he would make it his home again.

With renewed fervor, he started chucking Kraang parts into a waiting garbage bag. It was his home and he was taking it back.

* * *

Donnie's heart fell into his stomach when he saw his lab. It was ruined. So many of his carefully collected and hoarded books had been destroyed. So much of his painstakingly scavenged and constructed lab equipment lay about in unsalvageable pieces. All his experiments and data lost, along with months and months of painstaking effort.

Even Timothy was gone. How would he ever help him now? He didn't even have enough remaining medical supplies to patch up his brothers if anyone got seriously injured in the near future.

For a moment, the sheer thought of having to rebuild everything from the bottom up was overwhelming. He felt defeated. It was too much. It would take years to replace what he had lost.

The sound of Mikey harfing out in the kitchen pulled his thoughts out of their downward spiral. A gentle sniff of the air filled his olfactory senses with the pungent odor of mold and rotten food. He could take a good guess at what had happened. Even Mikey's iron stomach had limits.

The thought brought an unexpected smile to his face and he turned to survey the living room, where Raph bagged Kraang limbs, Leo righted and examined their arcade games and his father painstakingly glued a shattered glass bowl back together.

Yes, he'd lost a lot. But he hadn't lost what mattered, what couldn't be replaced. In time, he'd rebuild because he could and everything would be fine. His family was safe, whole and home again. Everything would be just fine.

* * *

Mikey groaned. Forget about regretting it tomorrow. He was regretting it now. Apparently, there truly was a time when pizza was no longer edible. It was a sad and humbling realization. And now he'd made more of a mess to clean up. Soaking a rag in their mercifully still functional sink, he began to wipe up the mess.

His normally jubilant features puckered into a frown. It hurt. Apparently his facial muscles weren't accustomed to brooding. Raph's face muscles must be awesome at it. That thought brought a brief grin back to his countenance.

He'd really wanted to make his family an awesome welcome home dinner. But he didn't have anything to work with. Maybe there were still some algae and worms left in Don's lab. Although the moan his brother had let out when Raph helped him get the door open was not promising.

Suddenly, Mikey was struck with a super-amazing, brilliant idea. Yanking out his T Phone, he dialed April's number.

"Mikey? Is everything ok?"

"Oh yeah. It's all good." Her concern shifted to annoyance.

"Well, I'm a bit busy right now. Everyone's kind of like recovering refugees and my dad and I have our hands full distributing soup to people. I'd love to chat, but with Casey running off to do God knows what and his dad and Maria getting more ingredients, I've kind of got my hands full."

"That's great April. Anyway, I need a favor." She sighed again.

"What is it?"

"We kind of don't have any food. I guess even the fridge's super ice powers of ultimate coldness have their limits cause nothing is edible. Believe me I tried. It's a sad day when my stomach is defeated. Anyway, if you've got any leftover soup materials, could you bring them by? I'd really like to make something nice for everyone the first night back."

"Oh Mikey, I'm sorry. I didn't even think…yeah. I'll drop some stuff off as soon as Casey's dad and Maria get back."

"Thanks April! You da bomb!" He clicked off his phone and congratulated himself on his resourcefulness. The ultimate-welcome-home-dinner plan was still a go. Hmm. But he was hungry now. Too bad there wasn't food that stayed good no matter how long you left it. Something caught his eye in a half open cupboard. Ooh. Chee Z Balls!

* * *

Leo sighed. It looked like there'd be no video or arcade games until Donnie got around to fixing them. He felt bad about asking since Don would probably have his hands full getting his lab back in order.

Maybe they could just use their recreation time to get in some extra training sessions. Actually, that would probably encourage Donnie to fix the games faster than any request or argument.

But that wasn't what was really bothering him. He hoped that coming back here wasn't a mistake. They were pretty sure that the Kraang weren't chummy enough with the Shredder to share the lair's location, but not certain.

Still there was only evidence of Kraang presence, not Foot. If the Shredder had known, surely he would have ransacked the place to find something to use against them. Or to just hurt them in general. He kind of sucked that way.

No, Sensei wouldn't have allowed them to come home if it wasn't safe. He could see his father carrying the bowl that he'd reassembled back to the dojo, to set his family shrine back up.

With all the dividers torn down, the tree in the dojo was visible, still healthy and strong like his family. Except maybe for Mikey who really shouldn't have tried to eat that piece of moldy pizza. Although if anyone could try that and survive, it would be Mikey.

He breathed in deep, finding the familiar scents of home underneath all the mess. It might look bad now, but they'd get it back together. There was nothing so broken it couldn't be fixed.

"Hey Fearless! You gonna stand there daydreaming or help out?" He couldn't help but smile as he moved to help his brother pick up their living room.

"What's wrong Raph? Worn out already? Wouldn't want your delicate hands to get calloused." Raph gave him a rude gesture as he bent to help out and they laughed. Yeah, they'd have everything back to normal in no time.

* * *

Lily could hear the boys banter as they worked. It was a nice homey sound and it washed away the fear and exhaustion of the past few days. She'd given Lisa a brief tour while her cousin steered her through the piles of rubble, ending in the room she'd originally been given. Until further notice, they would share it. It still felt like home to her, though it was little more than bedding in a cleared out space where they'd put up some of their spare dojo dividers for privacy.

She'd realized that having spares was a practical concern after Raph had accidently flipped Mikey through one and down the flight of stair behind it. Mikey had insisted that his shell had taken the worst of the fall, but Lily had never known Raph to be nicer to him than he had for the rest of that day.

Yes this place definitely felt like home. More than any place had in a long time. And she would help make it Lisa's home too. It was taking time and patience, but she was drawing her wounded cousin out of her shell of pain and fear.

Her Mona Lisa was returning to her piece by painstaking piece. This was a good place to heal. She could vouch for that. There was nothing like family to put you back together when you were broken and Lily now had all of it in one place.

She'd be the bridge to connect Lisa to the Hamatos and then her world would be right and complete. This may not be exactly what they'd envisioned when they plotted to strike out on their own together, but she truly believed that this could and would be so much better. She believed as firmly as she did in her visions that while it might not be the home they planned but it was the home they were meant for.


	90. Chapter 88: Vigilante Justice II

**Vigilante Justice II:**

Casey leaned back on the couch, wedged between Raph and Leo with Mikey bouncing around excitedly. He was bruised and battered and suspected that he might even have several hairline bone fractures in various places. Absolutely everything hurt, but he hadn't felt this content since arriving back in New York.

After the guys totally ditched him when they went to go save the world like he was some useless tagalong, he might have lost it a bit. Well more than a bit. Especially after they had laughed at him for failing to beat the Purple Dragons, like their new leader, Hun, wouldn't have kicked their ninja turtle shells too.

In retrospect going after the Shredder, not even counting all his henchmen, by himself absolutely was a death wish. They couldn't even take that tin can down reliably as a team. When Leo had been in the position he'd just put himself in, he'd ended up having his dying carcass tossed through April's window.

But the feeling of being left out, that he might be useless or worse, a burden had driven away all rational sense in him. He'd never had so many near death experiences clustered so close together. But it was totally worth it.

Not that he wouldn't always treasure the memory of electrocuting the Shredder when that smug bastard was threatening to skewer him, but he owned that battle finale. When Donnie had laid it on him to get that chemical into the pit to ruin all the Shredder's plans, everything came together. It was like the most awesome, epic game of ultimate hockey ever. The chemical tub was his puck, the factory his rink to set up team Casey Jones versus team Shredder.

He'd flown through that factory on his skates, overcoming all of their defense to score a goal into the chemical pit. The subsequent explosion felt like victory fireworks. The victory was all him and he'd be riding high on the rush of it for days, maybe weeks to come. Now that he'd proved himself indispensable, it felt right being part of the team again.

And he could acknowledge that his recent behavior had been pretty dumb for someone who prided himself in part on his craftiness and ingenuity as well as on his badass toughness and fighting skills. Well whatever. They fit together again and everything felt right. Even if he might not be able to move tomorrow or the day after. He'd set things right.


	91. Chapter 89: Obligation of Heaven IV

**Obligation of Heaven IV:**

Dr. Rockwell telekinetically levitated the filing cabinet into the corner, next to the slide projector and stacks of notebooks full of newspaper clippings. Their new base of operations wouldn't feel complete without Kurtzman's stuff in it, whether or not the man himself was physically present. Granted he'd made sure to oversee the setup of his own lab first.

Everyone else had taken barely anytime to settle in. Which made sense. No one else really had any possessions. So he'd just told them where he wanted everything and trusted Slash to make sure no one broke any of his equipment while he got the power and water on.

After Pete had miraculously managed to locate this isolated and abandoned warehouse for them, Kurtzman had generously dumped his personal savings into purchasing it on their behalf.

Which left them to their own devices to furnish it to their comfort. Not that anyone besides Rockwell seemed to require any creature comforts, beyond the grocery delivery service Kurtzman had set up to the edge of the property.

Hmm, if they weren't to bleed their poor human friend dry financially, Rockwell was going to have to figure out a way to generate income. The others had never been human and didn't understand what economic burden was. He'd figure something out.

After designing some sort of restroom facilities. There was no way he was going to continue living with a makeshift latrine. And maybe some sort of kitchen. Just because the others would happily eat anything they found in any condition they found it in, didn't mean he was so undiscerning.

He wondered briefly if Donatello had to manage these types of things for his own family before being struck with a fresh pang of jealousy. While he wouldn't admit that the turtle was more intelligent than he, he had to concede at least equal intelligence, which was galling as the turtle was still a child.

If it had just been the potential for brilliance, Rockwell would have been proud to mentor the kid. They'd gotten along great at their joint celebration following the defeat of the Kraang invasion. He'd forgotten what it was like to talk to someone who could understand him without dumbing down everything he said to the most elementary level, or more in Pete's case.

But Donatello wasn't unmolded potential. The teenage boy was already on par with him with seemingly unlimited capacity to grow. It wasn't fair. He'd worked all his life to gain the skill and knowledge he'd possessed, aided of course by no small amount of natural talent.

And this isolated boy, self-taught with whatever refuse he could find, was already his equal. It was a bitter thing to accept. But he would have to. At least he would if he ever wanted to have a real conversation with anyone again. He would. It would just take time to swallow some of his pride.

He eyed Kurtzman's lonely possessions and found himself missing his eccentric friend. But Kurtzman's absence was for all of their benefit. The Kraang's first attempt to invade Earth with their Technodrome had been brief and isolated enough to be written off as mass hysteria or a hoax.

But not this one. The city had been occupied for months. It's populace, while most were greatly unclear about what exactly had happened, knew enough that they couldn't rationalize it and that went double for the survivors who had evaded mutation as they cowered in their conquered city. Even the citizens chosen to be military or media tools could remember the details of their time under mind control.

The Kraang and their invasion was public knowledge to a great many justifiably concerned world governments. So Kurtzman, the resident human Kraang expert, had gone to them to share all the information he'd collected about the Kraang.

It would give the world what they needed to know to protect themselves from further interdimensional aggression and would earn Kurtzman the trust that he needed to keep his mutant friends secret and safe from interested authorities. It was essential.

But he missed the kook. And also the burden of identifying their missions now fell to him. Slash was and would always be the leader, but he still expected targets and missions to be brought to his attention rather than find them on his own. That had always been Kurtzman's role. And now Rockwell had to pick up the slack.

The best place to start seemed to be Kurtzman's files and notebooks. He wouldn't dig through the slides unless he became absolutely desperate. At least with Kurtzman taking all his Kraang notes, there was less chaff to sift through to find the wheat.

Five notebooks later, he was revising that assessment. Kurtzman had been right about the Kraang, but he was the ultimate conspiracy theorist. He didn't want to use crackpot to describe his friend, but some of these theories were ridiculous.

He almost snapped the next book closed as soon as he opened it. It was a personal journal and reading it felt like a violation of privacy. But to be safe, he rapidly flipped through the pages, to make certain it was all personal musings.

Halfway through, he saw a sketch of a fully dressed mutant turtle and almost dropped the book. It seemed different than the members of the Hamato family, but so very similar. He couldn't ignore it. Violation of privacy or not, he had to know.

* * *

Mei shoved the luopan away in disgust. She couldn't concentrate. The flurry of activity in defeating the Kraang invasion had passed and now she was back to the painstakingly tedious task of divining the Dragonlord's location.

Battling Kraang robots had been surprisingly satisfying. Although she was no spy, they were such a combination of overconfident and incompetent that it had been a simple thing to infiltrate their strongholds and steal intelligence, or at least that's what Mr. Kurtzman had called the small metal blocks that she'd collected for him.

Given that he happily answered all her questions whenever she dropped by to visit, it felt wrong showing up empty handed. She'd seen his mutant friends from time to time, but never had the courage to approach, always waiting until they'd left to enter and speak with Kurtzman.

Hypocritical as it was, they were strange and frightening looking to her. Humans were all she'd ever known. She believed Kurtzman when he said they were good souls, she did, but it still hard to see past their monstrous appearance.

Obviously getting to know them would be the remedy that, but she wasn't willing to risk it until she was sure her aversion to them wouldn't be obvious. How stupid. She should have more self-control, but they raised so many uncomfortable questions about her own identity and origins.

However the shock of the Mutanimals were nothing compared to seeing them. The other turtles. She'd observed the final battle from a nearby rooftop, strategically taking out various Kraang with fei biao, burning through almost her entire supply of flying darts, to make sure her allies were not overwhelmed.

They'd dropped down on the missile from above. Kurtzman was right. They looked so much like her it was frightening. Unburdened by human aversion to nudity, she could see that they were almost exactly the same, illuminated in the strange pink Kraang light. Not just other mutants like the Mutanimals, but the same as her.

The sense of vertigo while watching them fend off the Kraang with a combination of grace, skill and power almost toppled her off the building. She didn't recognize their art but respected its efficacy.

In some as yet unknown way, she must be connected to them. It felt like her whole past, her entire identity, would be rewritten upon meeting them and she wasn't ready for that. Not when she had such an important task to complete. She would seek them out and get her answers once the world was safe again from the Dragonlord. Until the all personal matters must wait. If only she could concentrate.

* * *

"Leatherhead!" Michelangelo's piercing voice shattered Splinter's attempt at mediation. Fully out of it now, he could hear the crocodile's rumbling response, but was unable to make out the words. With a sigh, he got up to greet their guest. It had been sometime since Leatherhead had been to their home. He stopped upon exiting the dojo.

It wasn't just Leatherhead standing there with a very small looking Michelangelo plastered to him a gleeful hug. Raphael was by Slash trying to hide his joy under a mask of nonchalance.

Leonardo was following Pigeon Pete around, trying to prevent him from knocking things over and breaking them and Dr. Rockwell was subtly drifting towards Donatello's lab with poorly disguised curiosity while his son leafed through a notebook that he'd clearly just been handed.

Lisa clung to Lily on the couch fighting for mastery of herself despite being overwhelmed and afraid while Lily seemed to be trying to identify what was going on by the cacophony of sound around her. Donatello let out a strangled gasp that caught everyone's attention, clearly reminding them that this wasn't purely a social call.

Curious, Splinter was the first to his son's side. He froze as his eyes landed on the sketch. Another turtle, just like his sons. Dressed, not exactly like a ninja, but similar. It reminded him of clothing worn on the continent.

While Shen had always had a greater fascination with all things of western culture, her twin sister Amaya had made a point of exploring her Chinese heritage. This turtle's dress reminded him of some of her old pictures of historical martial arts masters.

He was vaguely aware that Donatello was saying something about this being statistically impossible, a mistake. Because the mutagen was too unstable to likely produce such a similar mutation to theirs at random.

Michelangelo was too excited by the prospect of a new turtle sibling, sister the book indicated, to listen while Leonardo and Raphael stood by in mute shock. How could this be?

His mind drifted back to that day. There was that other man in the pet shop. Chinese. He had bought the surviving baby turtle from the other clutch of eggs. Could it be?


	92. Chapter 90: Huntress V

**Huntress V:**

Alopex knelt before her Master trying sense any indication of weakness and vulnerability. She found none. He might be a pompous bastard but he was aware of everything around him and powerful enough that she knew she could not stand against him. Not without the most perfect of ambushes. For now, she would have to play along.

As much as she'd preferred the physical kunoichi training to the psychological, she was glad of having both. She would need all her powers of deception to pull this off. The best lies were mostly truth.

It was true that she feared him and trembled at the thought of defying him. She'd make that the source of any resentment she might have as he would inevitably pick up on it. Her excessive pride should make it plausible.

"It is good that you have finished your mission for Kitsune and come to New York. I need you to retrieve my enemies, these turtles, and bring them to me alive. Particularly the bo wielder."

A manila envelope, likely containing her target details, skidded across the floor to a stop in front of her. She would do as he commanded and wait for the perfect moment. She was patient hunter.

"As you will it Master."


	93. Chapter 91: Fallen III

**Fallen III:**

Angel was furious. She hadn't spoken to her mother since dinner yesterday. The sting of betrayal felt too near. How could she? She didn't even have the courage to tell her until the last possible moment. It figured.

She loved her mother dearly but had trouble respecting her timidity and weakness. It was frustrating, but tended to draw out her protective impulses. But not today.

She slammed her last suitcase shut and eyed the small heap of luggage that contained her whole life. It felt odd reducing it all into a few small boxes and bags. The world she knew would be gone tomorrow. They were leaving it all behind and she hadn't even known until dinner yesterday.

She didn't really care about school and had no friends to speak of, but leaving her dojo was a bitter thing. Although not as bitter as leaving this apartment. It was still full of her Aunt Candice's life and as long as they were here, Angel felt like she could imagine that her beloved aunt wasn't really gone.

However the lingering presence of her aunt was the reason that they were moving. What brought Angel comfort tortured her mother with false promises of hope. She could see her mother forget sometimes, when she'd just woken up from a nap or let her mind drift. Forget that Aunt Candice was gone. Then, when her mind caught up, the grief would strike her anew every time. She understood, but she resented it all the same.

Maybe it was just as well. Ultimately, they wouldn't be able to afford to keep the place or her martial arts lessons on her mother's salary. And if this new job in New York was a good as she said, maybe she'd be able to afford a new martial arts school once they were settled. It was possible.

Apparently a lot of people had some serious nervous breakdowns after that alien invasion. She still couldn't think about that without an overwhelming sense if incredulity. But it had created some job openings and her mom had taken advantage. They could have a fresh start. Too bad Angel didn't want one.


	94. Chapter 92: Obligation of Heaven V

**Obligation of Heaven V:**

Her mind was numb. Completely and utterly numb. When a package had arrived for her at the drop location, the first since she'd begun her mission, she hadn't known what to think. To her surprise, they'd been journals. Her father's journals. Her brother had found them and sent them to her.

Now she knew everything. She knew how she and the other turtles had been changed and that she was not their sister, separated from them by some storybook misfortune. She had always been her father's daughter. More so than she'd realized. He'd been the human part of her mutation. That's why she possessed his hereditary power.

He knew. He knew the entire time and hadn't said a word. How could he not have trusted her? She loved him. He was her father. She would never ever have abandoned him. Not ever. Not for anything. But he'd doubted her love. Doubted her.

He didn't trust her enough to tell her the truth and it hurt more than she could have possibly imagined. What had she done to make him doubt her? How had she been lacking as a daughter?

The loneliness of the empty warehouse seemed to close in around her. She'd been here by herself for so long. It was unbearable. She wanted to run home and pretend that she'd never learned any of this. But she couldn't. She had a mission. One that was so much more important than herself.

And it was time to admit that she simply could not do it alone. She'd never find the Dragonlord on her luopan without the aid of someone spiritually experienced to ground her power. She needed the one her father mentioned in his journals. The one he'd found on the spiritual plane. The father of the other turtles.

She couldn't hide from this anymore. She couldn't bury herself in her past and run from her future. It was time to leave her current self behind and move forward. She stood on a precipice in her life. Not knowing where she might land, she needed to jump.

She sat cross legged with her eyes closed and breathed as she'd been taught, letting her life connect the chi in her body with that in the world around her. In it she could feel the weight of her past, burdened by fear and doubt.

Breathe. In and out. In and out. Exhaling, she let it go, feeling it flow from her. Eyes glowing bright blue snapped open. She was on her feet packing up her meager belongings before she had a chance to question herself. The refreshing night air hit her as she ran into the darkness, leaping fearlessly off that precipice and trusting in herself to find a safe place to land.

* * *

Donnie watched April's window close and waited a few minutes, just in case she came back for any reason. She rarely did and didn't tonight, but he always waited. Just in case.

He knew his brothers worried about him and thought that this was a bad idea, but they didn't stop him from escorting her home on the nights that she patrolled with them. They let him make a fool of himself in private and trusted him to be careful getting back to the lair on his own.

He didn't know whether to be grateful or offended by it, but either way he couldn't seem to stop himself. She had this inexplicable magnetic pull that he didn't know how to fight. He sighed. These thoughts were fruitless and circular. Time to think about something else.

As he gracefully leapt from rooftop to rooftop letting the cool night air rush refreshingly past his warm skin, his mind drifted back to the other issue that weighed on all their minds although they didn't really talk about it. Except for Mikey. He talked about it. A lot. All the time. He was terribly excited at the prospect of having a second sister and couldn't stop going on about having two sisters now.

Poor Leo cringed every time he did. Everyone but Mikey seemed to realize that his feelings for Karai were not that of brother and sister. Since finding out that she was Sensei's daughter, Miwa, he'd been trying to fight it. To fix it. To have appropriate feelings for their father's lost daughter, but Donnie knew that it didn't work that way. You didn't get to choose the way you felt. Just what you were going to do about it.

He didn't envy Leo his position. But at least Leo didn't have an obnoxious human rival that Karai was inexplicably drawn to. So they all had their obstacles. But he digressed. The issue that all of them had to consider, not just poor Leo, was their other candidate for sister. A turtle sister.

Not that they knew she was related to them, but if he could get a sample it would be easy enough to check. What if she wasn't related? What would it mean for their family? The idea that another generation was biologically possible had occupied his mind almost as much as the impossibility of another random mutation so identical to their own with the terribly unstable mutagen.

It shouldn't be possible. Had to be a mistake, but what if…? The idea that he could possibly be an uncle if one of his brothers fell for her was kind of appealing. Obviously not him. He belonged to April, but he did have three available siblings, assuming Leo ever got over Karai. He'd never considered it before, because of the sheer impossibility, but now, maybe.

Still, there were too many variables. Not least of which was the possibility of never meeting her at all. Apparently, she hadn't known anything and the truth had hit hard.

Learning about the Kraang and their role in mutagen and been a mind trip for him and he'd already known that he was a mutant. What would it be like without even that? To have grown up alone, the only one of her kind, with no idea why? He couldn't fathom it and didn't blame her for her hesitation and secrecy, frustrating as it was.

He wanted to go out looking for her and knew Mikey did too, but Leo had decided that they would respect her wishes and wait. Leo was right. He knew Leo was right, but he wanted to know. Reining in his curiosity had never been his strong suit and this mystery was so personal. He hated having to be patient.

As his thoughts cycled in another useless loop, he became aware that he was being observed. Could it be the Foot clan? And he was out here alone. Stupid. Nice night or not, he should have taken the sewers back.

He tried not to let on that he'd noticed the tail on him and subtly withdrew his phone. He was almost to the nearest lair entrance. His brothers could be here in less than five minutes. But five minutes was a very long time to stand your ground in a fight. Especially if the odds were against you. He needed send out the message and get as close to home as possible before the battle started. Buying time was essential.

No! Whoever followed was on top of the utility shed just ahead of and above him. He was a sitting duck. No time left. His best chance now was a surprise attack. Letting his phone drop from one hand, he drew his bo with the other.

Weapon now in both hands, less than a breath after his realization, he leapt up towards the utility closet, thrusting the staff forward and making the most of his weapon's long reach. Whoever it was, and thank goodness there only seemed to be one, flipped backwards into the air.

What looked like a kunai on a rope shot out towards him and though it wouldn't have hit him, he instinctively deflected it with his bo, causing it to wrap around the staff like a bola and become tangled.

Whoever it was had flipped over a thick power cable when evading his original strike and as they dropped down the other side of it, their rope weapon looped over the cable, using his assailants own weight to rip his caught staff out of his hands.

Without waiting for his enemy to finish reeling in his weapon, he charged forward and they released the tangled rope kunai to roll sideways, evading his side kick. Instead of following up the assault, he rolled backwards, scooping up his staff as he did so. They circled as he disentangled it from the rope.

Whoever attacked him was covered head to toe in a black and gray costume, but it definitely wasn't Foot garb. That and the fighting style was completely different. Someone new. Had his family's secret been jeopardized?

No! He would protect his father and brothers. He charged in and thrust his staff forward, releasing his naginata blade to catch his enemy if they jumped back. They didn't, choosing instead to lean sideways, letting the strike flow past, but he twisted the staff, blade edge towards his assailant and transformed his motion into a sweep towards their chest.

And then his attack was stopped as his enemy skidded backward under the force of his blow. He blinked in momentary disbelief as he saw that his staff was caught. They were holding, thick handled twin knives, with a curved piece of metal arcing out of the handles along the blade, reminding him vaguely of Raph's sais, that had caught his bo.

The knife wielder twisted, lowering one arm and raising the other in a motion that ripped his staff out of his stunned hands while whoever it was spun around, connecting the thick metal handle of one of the knives to his temple.

Stars burst in front of his eyes, obscuring his vision as he staggered back, trying to keep his footing. Somewhere beyond him, he could hear his bo clattering to the ground. Before he could see again, a foot connected with his chest, knocking him onto his shell and forcing the air out of his lungs. He struggled to breathe as his vision cleared.

He was lying on his back with his enemy over him and a blade to his throat, completely at their mercy. This was it. He was dead. A distinctly feminine voice with an exotic accent spoke.

"Enough."

* * *

Mei breathed heavily as she pinned the turtle down. He was good. Better than she thought. That was close. She hadn't expected him to notice her and attack. She thought that she'd been so lucky when she'd stumbled across him alone. That it would be easy to follow him back to his home. That had been a serious miscalculation.

Getting her breathing under control, she pushed up off of him and sheathed her húdié shuāngdāo. She tried to avoid close combat that required the use of her butterfly swords but after he'd disarmed her of her jōhyō, she'd had no choice.

She could see the rope dart lying on the ground behind her by his turtle shaped electronic device. He was still on the ground blinking up at her in confusion with soft brown eyes. Time to salvage what she could of the situation.

She reached out and offered him her gloved hand. He took it hesitantly and with a great deal of effort, she heaved him to his feet. He was lean but very tall, making him heavier than he looked and still a little dazed from the head strike. This was not how she'd wanted to start this. What could she say?

As she struggled to find the words that would instill trust, his confusion transformed into wonder as he noticed that their hands were the same. His mouth opened wide, revealing a gap tooth.

For a moment he seemed like a child seeing fireworks for the very first time. It made him seem very young and innocent. She could almost forget how close he'd come to taking her down in that fight. With her free hand, she pulled down her mask and he gasped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to turn into a fight. I just needed to speak to you." He nodded, still processing her. To buy some time while she organized her thoughts, she released his hand and retrieved her jōhyō.

Behind her, she could hear him stumble around collecting his staff and electronic device, obviously still dazed. She probably shouldn't have struck him in the head, but the fight was rapidly escalating and she'd needed to stop it. Time to explain.

"You must be Mei Pieh Chi then?" She stiffened and spun around, a feeling of betrayal clawing at his gut. He read her expression and winced.

"No, Kurtzman didn't tell us. He kept your secret." What?

"But how?"

"When he left, one of his colleagues was going through his files and found a journal. It had you in it." She had to work very hard to keep the anger out of her voice.

"So this colleague after reading it and knowing my wishes, blatantly ignored them anyway?" At least he had the grace to look ashamed for whoever it was that couldn't comprehend the concept of discretion.

"He thought we had a right to know. That he was acting in our best interests. We weren't going to seek you out. We were waiting until you were ready. Until, now I guess."

So they knew how she'd been too weak and afraid to confront them all these months? She had hoped not to reveal that. Annoyed, she closed her eyes and breathed, letting it flow out of her. What's done was done. She could only move forward.

"Yes. I am Mei Pieh Chi." He gave her a gap toothed grin, wincing as the expression clearly made his head hurt.

"I'm Donatello. You can call me Don though." She nodded.

"It is good to meet you Don."

"I have so many questions. Well, I guess you probably do too. Where to begin?"

"I need to speak to your father. I need his help."


	95. Chapter 93: Brotherhood XI

**Brotherhood XI:**

Raph breathed a sigh of relief when Lisa finished eating and retreated back to the room she shared with Lily. He lowered the magazine that he hadn't been reading and leaned his head back on the couch. Leo was smirking at him and he glared. At least Mikey was too busy with the futile task of trying to teach Lily to play video games to pay much attention.

It looked like Leo was going to say something that would earn him a beat down, when the turnstile creaked. Great. Now Donnie could hassle him too. Both he and Leo turned towards the sound and froze.

Donnie was being followed by some Chinese ninja straight out of a kung fu film, carrying a large messenger bag. Raph was speechless. He could hear Leo struggling to react.

"Uh, Donnie, what are you doing?" Whoever it was hadn't freaked out, fainted or attacked so far and Donnie didn't appear to be captured, but what was he thinking? Don't bring anyone home was rule number one.

He swayed a bit and Raph noticed the bruise forming on the side of his brother's head. He let out an involuntary growl and felt Leo tense, knowing that the eldest had also noticed. Donnie caught on and raised his hands defensively.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. It's my fault for attacking her." Her? Because that's exactly what they needed. More stupid girls making everything confusing and weird. She pulled her mask down from where it covered her nose and mouth and he felt his jaw drop open. She was the turtle Rockwell had told them about. Donnie continued awkwardly in the silence of the reveal.

"It's Mei Pieh Chi. Umm, she needs our help and would really like to talk to Sensei." Something appeared to occur to Donnie.

"Oh, Mei, I'm sorry. That's Leonardo or uh Leo I guess and Raphael."

"Raph." He heard himself correct automatically.

"And over there by the television is Lily and Michelangelo. I mean Mikey." Mikey was just staring open mouthed, controller forgotten in his hands, while Lily struggled to follow what was going on. Mei bowed to them.

"It is an honor to meet you. I do look forward to getting to know you, but right now I must speak with your father." She was very stiff and formal. Maybe this was just as weird for her?

Wait, how did she know about Sensei? Was that Donnie's doing? He turned to glare at his brother who was now in the kitchen, getting an icepack from Ice Cream Kitty. Leo seemed to recover first.

"Ok. Follow me."

"What are you doing Leo?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think Sensei can take care of himself?" Raph ground his teeth and crossed his arms in a huff. That wasn't the point. She was a stranger. You couldn't just trust her. Not yet.

"Whatever, do what you want." He spat the words out. Leo smiled and led her into the dojo.

* * *

Donnie sat at his desk in his lab, holding an ice pack to the side of his head. He'd taken some aspirin, but the headache still pounded. Thankfully his brothers were giving him some space, probably because they were busy with their own surprise.

By tomorrow at the latest they'd be laughing their shells off at his expense. Just like when he'd been clobbered by Rockwell in front of April. He just couldn't seem to catch a break. His mind drifted back to their encounter. He really didn't want to think about the fight. That was embarrassing.

He still wasn't clear on how she knew Master Splinter, but as he'd surprised her by knowing her name, he supposed that was fair. Maybe it was a side effect of the concussion that he obviously had, but he'd agreed to bring her home. She was so like them, but not.

None of them had eyes as dark as hers. They reminded him of onyx. And she was smaller, clearly favoring her human heritage over her turtle ancestry in that regard. Being heavily dressed it was difficult to make much further comparison. Actually, that had been a point of interest on the way to the lair. She'd kept staring at him as they walked, making him acutely unnerved.

"What?" He'd finally broken down and confronted her.

"Aren't you uncomfortable? With being naked, I mean." He'd almost tripped and fell into the sewage, blushing furiously.

"I'm not naked!" She didn't look like she believed him and maybe, being raised around only humans, it was true to her.

"I'm wearing clothing and obviously I have my shell. It's kind of like natural clothing. Besides, human clothing doesn't really fit right and tends to get in the way of moving." Clearly she'd never thought of it that way and he'd left her to ruminate on that the rest of the way back.

He wondered if every interaction with her would be so awkward. That would be unfortunate. His mind was too idle. Despite his aching head, he grabbed his tools and popped the hood of the party wagon. There were a few improvements he could make, even with a pounding head.

* * *

Mikey was radiating with excitement. Upon realizing who she was, he'd nearly bowled her over with a welcome home hug. But after seeing the goose egg lump forming on the side of Donnie's head, he conceded that she might not like surprise hugs. Which was bogus. Who didn't like surprise hugs? Angry, punchy girl turtles apparently.

Oh well. She was his new sis and he could accept her despite her shortcomings. Maybe she could learn to like surprise hugs. It might be a job for Dr. Prankenstein. Leo was taking her to the dojo while Donnie staggered off to his lab. Maybe he should go to. He really wanted to meet her besides that boring formal introduction.

"Mikey?" Lily's voice brought him back out of his cloud of excitement.

"What's going on?"

"Donnie brought our turtle sister home! You know, the one the Mutanimals told us about." She looked a little crestfallen. Why? Shouldn't everyone be happy? Actually, he seemed to be the only one that was happy about this.

Why'd everyone always have to have their shells in a bunch? They had more family. It should be cause to party. Speaking of which, he should totally throw her a welcome home party.

"So, is she pretty?" Mikey blinked, momentarily stunned by Lily's question.

"Hmm. I don't know. She's kind of layered up. But if she looks like us, she must be right?" That did it. Lily doubled over laughing.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"I want to throw our new sis a welcome home party."

"Our?" He plowed ahead, ignoring Lily's amazement.

"It's obviously going to be a-maze-ing! But I could use some help." Before she could nod, he had her by the hand, dragging her to Donnie's lab.

* * *

Leo knocked on Sensei's door, feeling Mei's eyes upon him, tracking his every movement. She was politely waiting back by the tree. The door slid open.

"Yes Leonardo…" He trailed off when he saw Mei.

"Master Splinter. Donnie brought her home. She says that she needs help. That she needs to speak to you." His father considered the request for a second before nodding.

"Very well. You may go." He couldn't help but hesitate at the thought of leaving his father alone with a stranger, whether or not Kurtzman trusted her. He wanted to argue, but as he'd told Raph, it was ridiculous. Sensei was as far from helpless as it was possible to get.

Sucking it up, he bowed and forced himself to walk out of the dojo. Raph glared up at him from the couch.

"You left her alone with him?" He fought to hide the apprehensions that he shared.

"It's fine. You're being paranoid Raph." He jumped the couch and stomped over to him.

"Like I was being paranoid when I said it was a bad idea to bring Karai here?" In that moment, he almost lost it. Raph did not know how close he was to being attacked by what would have been a wild animal. He pinched his eyes shut and used his mediation breathing to get himself under control.

"I trust Sensei." It was all he could get out before forcing his feet towards Donnie's lab under the guise of getting more details about his confrontation. What he really needed was some distance between himself and Raph.

How could Raph just bring up Karai like that? He had to know how miserable he'd been since she'd said goodbye, leaving them for their own safety. Why would he do that? He could hear Raph following him. If anyone should be able to take a hint about wanting to be left alone, it should be him.

"Leo, I…I'm sorry…I just…" Oh God. He was trying to apologize. Because, as usual his brain was faster than his mouth. Leo knew he should turn around and accept the apology. To let him know that things were right between them.

But he couldn't just yet. He needed amount to get himself back under control. He needed Raph to give him some space until he could manage it. This sense of uncontrolled reeling emotion was awful. Was this how Raph felt all the time? It would explain a lot. He yanked open the large metal door and could hear Donnie.

"No, Mikey I do not have helium for balloons. If I did have helium, I wouldn't waste it on balloons."

"Aww, c'mon D. Hook a turtle up." Donnie groaned and Leo smiled. This was at least a problem that he could deal with.


	96. Chapter 94: Obligation of Heaven VI

**Obligation of Heaven VI:**

Mei knelt before Master Splinter, as Leo had called him, wondering where to begin. He waited patiently for her to gather herself. The faint ethereal outline of a beautiful woman with a hand calmly resting on his shoulder wasn't helping. Her father had seen it too. He'd mentioned noticing the ghost upon their first meeting. Maybe she should start there.

"You met my father once, a long time ago."

"At the pet store?" Her eyes widened.

"I suspected as much when we first learned of you."

"He saw you change. That's when he dropped me and I…" She struggled for the words.

"So that's why your change was so similar to ours. It was under the same circumstances. Donatello was wondering."

"I ended up off to the side, so you probably didn't see me when you took your sons from there. When my father returned after trying to get help, I was all that remained." He nodded.

"Is that how you knew about me then?" She nodded.

"That and my father observed you a bit on the spirit plane for a while afterward." The rat's amber eyes widened in surprise.

"He never told me, but it was in his journals."

"I find it hard to believe that I would not notice another presence."

"It might be easier if you know our family history. Our family is the direct descendant of Qin Fu Su, eldest son of the emperor who founded the Qin dynasty. I am a part of that lineage because my human self is from contact with my father before my…exposure." Splinter nodded.

"Yes. I believe that my son's human selves come from contact with some children who were in the shop before me. I do sometimes wonder if things would be different if I had been the source of their exposure, but I don't regret it. They are my sons and are who they are supposed to be. I would not change them." She smiled. Paternal love. She'd missed that since losing her own father.

"This might be difficult to believe, but the great Zhou dynasty was caused by the influence of the original Fenghuang and Shenlong of legend. Their wisdom and inspiration created it and they're greed and corruption destroyed it.

"Emperor Qin was instrumental in ending their reign, earning his mandate to rule. The Jade Emperor punished them for their crimes, banishing Fenghuang and imprisoning Shenlong, giving their mantels to more worthy vessels.

"The Jade Emperor rewarded Qin by bestowing a sacred responsibility upon his worthy son, Fu Su. Qin Fu Su and his descendants were to guard the prison of the one who had been Shenlong and protect the world against his escape.

"To aid him in this, Fu Su and his descendants were granted the special abilities that others can only begin to discover after a lifetime of training. Our spiritual power is very great for this purpose. And we have kept the world safe. For millennia.

"But now, it's free. A traitor infiltrated our order and murdered my father at a crucial moment, allowing the Dragonlord to break his prison. If he is restored to a corporeal body, the world will be in great peril.

"With my brother's help, I tracked him to this city, but I do not have enough skill with divination to track him down more specifically. Not without aid. My father noted your great spiritual mastery. I need your help." Splinter was silent for moment, absorbing what she had just said.

"I see. This is grave indeed. I will help you." She sagged in relief. She'd been so afraid that he wouldn't believe. The people that she'd overheard in this city were so cynical and skeptical, completely blind to the spiritual world.

"Thank you. I don't know how long this will take…"

"You many remain with us until your quest is complete. You are welcome in this family." She had to fight not to cry. This was more than she had hoped for. A home and a family after so long alone. She had leapt into the unknown and found safe ground to land on, more stable than the ledge she had fled.

"Thank you."

* * *

"So, do you understand why it's not a good idea to throw Mei a party?" Donnie leaned against the party wagon, icing his head and Raph stood nearby with his arms crossed. Lily sat on Donnie's desk, next to Mikey as he nodded solemnly to Leo's question.

"Humor me Mikey. Tell me why it's not a good idea." It was painfully visible that Mikey's mind had wandered. The way he was smiling, he'd either moved on to pizza or Ice Cream Kitty.

"Mikey!"

"Uh, cause it's not." He sighed and rubbed his temples. Before he could try again, Sensei entered with Mei in tow and all conversation stopped.

"Mei has brought a serious threat to our attention. One that I will explain at the start of the next training session. Until this threat has passed, she will remain with us. She has agreed to join in our training. I will take her on as a student and she will share her fighting style with the rest of you.

"She is also trained in a unique form of Chinese spiritual training, although not quite the same as seishin-teki-kyo'yo which is a part of our own art. Because of this I have asked her to try training April and Lily in their gifts. Is that acceptable to you Lily?" She nodded from her perch on the desk.

"Yes. Thank you." Splinter turned his attention to Donatello.

"We will set up a room for her next to Lily and Lisa's. Are there more dividers?" Donnie nodded, cringing as the motion obviously aggravated his headache.

"Hai Sensei, they're over here." As he moved to unearth them, Leo noticed that Mei was staring at the side of the van where Raph had painted a WWII style turtle themed pin up girl and suddenly felt embarrassed about it.

"Uh…"

"Venus?" She looked at him questioningly.

"What?"

"It says Venus. Is this someone you know?"

"Uh no. It's just a painting that Raph made a while back."

"Why Venus? I'm not familiar with the word. What does it mean?" Leo jumped in before any of his brothers could answer. He knew Raph would likely say sex goddess, while Donnie would point out that it was a planet. And whatever Mikey was going to say would almost certainly be as equally unappreciated as the other two answers.

"She's a figure in western mythology representing beauty. Works of art named for her are pretty common. One of the most famous is the Venus di Milo." Oh no. Now he was rambling. But at least she was smiling.

"I see." She eyed the painting for few more minutes.

"Where I am from, it is not uncommon for a person's name to evolve with them as their life changes. I think maybe this qualifies." He didn't really comprehend where she was going with this. What did it have to do with the van painting?

"Uh, you want to change your name?"

"Mei means beauty, so it's appropriate. I will take the name Venus di Milo." He smiled. Maybe all that rambling wasn't quite so useless.

"That sounds great…Venus." Suddenly Mikey was bouncing between them.

"Excellent. We've totally got an art thing going with the girl's names!" Raph grunted.

"What are you talking about?"

"Water Lilies, Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo. Leo, can I rename Karai?"

"Mikey!"


	97. Chapter 95: Redemption V

**Redemption V:**

Arnold sat at the park picnic table with his uneaten bag lunch in front of him. Maria had made it, so he knew that it would be good. But his thoughts weren't on her right now. He was worried about Casey.

Work took up so much of his time to keep his family supported. He spent every free moment he could with them, never missing one of Maria's school plays or Casey's hockey games, eating Maria's delicious dinners with them to talk about their day and seeing them to bed each night before passing out onto his own.

But Casey disappeared most afternoons after school, sometimes even missing dinner and he suspected, sneaking out each night after going to bed. Each day brought a new collection of bruises that he blamed on hockey, but Arnold knew what they were. He'd been a mess of similar injuries as a teenager.

He knew his boy. He was a good kid. He cared about other people. The idea that he might have joined a gang was so foreign to him that he couldn't help but reject it. But what other explanation was there. He was terrified to confront his son over it and the resulting tension was putting some serious strain on their family. He couldn't keep ignoring it forever. What was he going to do?

"Am I interrupting?" He smiled at the sound of Miri's voice and gestured for her to have a seat. They'd kept in touch via letters since she'd left, but it had been a long time since he'd actually heard her speak. She looked older and stronger now. He was proud of her.

"No. Just thinking about Casey." Her eyes clouded and she nodded solemnly. He knew that she had similar concerns about Angel, given all the expulsions over fights. They'd shared their parental troubles over their correspondence. He didn't want to ruin lunch with it though.

"So you're actually back then?" She gave a shy smile.

"Yeah. I'm a certified internal auditor for the city. Hard to believe huh?"

"Nope. Always knew you had it in you. It's good to see you again." And he meant it. No matter what painful memories she brought along with her.

"I know. You too." It clearly worked both ways. He grinned.

"We should probably try to meet for lunch more often." Not dinner. Given Angel and Casey's problems, it would probably be a bad idea to introduce them. They might help each other, but they might also hasten each other's downward spiral. She nodded and smiled back at him.

"Yeah. I'd like that."


	98. Chapter 96: To Trust V

**To Trust V:**

Ninjara stood on the pier looking out at the dark night ocean, illuminated by the bright sleepless city before her. She'd never be comfortable in this loud, foreign world and longed for her peaceful island home.

Behind her the eerie robot warriors moved boxes and cargo crates. They'd already been out here an hour and would remain all night if need be. Once again, she was bait, a decoy. At least the Headhunter had better things to do, leaving the capture in her hands.

She'd seen the pictures of the turtle men she'd been assigned to capture, alive. They didn't look like evil people. Not evil like the people that she now worked for. Was it right to betray them to these monsters as she had been betrayed? A memory of her imprisoned people flashed before her eyes. Did she have a choice?

The sounds of battle pulled her from her thoughts. She did not have a choice, but maybe they would be strong enough to defeat her. It felt strange hoping to be beaten, but that was the only way out of this dark trap she'd been caught in.

With that thought, she hurtled herself blindly into battle, almost to the point of being careless. Three robotic warrior were sailing through the air towards her, but she deftly angled her body as she darted through, allowing them to fly by without striking her.

She barely had time to process that the enormous mace wielding turtle before her was not one of her intended targets before the massive spiked lump of metal was zooming towards her head.

She could dodge it and was prepared to with a follow up strike at the ready, when his eyes widened at the sight of her and he yanked himself completely off balance to redirect the hit away from her, burying his weapon into the concrete beside her and leaving himself completely open to a potentially lethal strike from her.

She knew that she should take it. He might not be the target, but he was attacking her and the organization that held her leash. Trying to point out a technicality in her orders might cost some of her people their lives.

And yet she couldn't. He'd risked his life to spare her, his enemy. He was fighting the monsters she worked for. Trading his innocent life for that of others wasn't acceptable. She lowered her weapon and backed away.

There were still a few robots standing that could attest to her betrayal. With a lightning fast slash, she cut them both down with a single strike and ran off into the night. Behind her, she could hear him call out "wait!"


	99. Chapter 97: Loyalty and Honor III

**Loyalty and Honor III:**

Dirk sent off the encrypted file with his findings direct to A. J. and sat back to await further orders. After finally being able to get into New York and investigating Lisa's home, workplace and other habitual stops, along with interviewing the officers working her case and checking out the bus station, he thought he had it figured out.

It had to be her mentor. The guy was shady as hell, moonlighting with what was almost certainly a criminal organization and running a ton of pirating software. Lisa was bright. She'd likely caught on to him and he'd needed to take care of her. With his criminal connections, that shouldn't be too difficult.

He just needed to ask the man a few questions in the appropriate setting to get the answers he sought, but he'd let that be A. J.'s call. Filtch wasn't going anywhere. His phone rang, startling him. A. J.?

"Savage."

"Dirk, hold off on the interrogation." Really? Usually A. J. was pretty unforgiving towards traitors. And those weren't the ones who that likely kidnapped one of his nieces.

"I'm coming down. I want to present for the…interview." Oh no. Definitely not forgiving. He was pissed. Dirk smiled.

"Got it."


	100. Chapter 98: To Overcome IX

**To Overcome IX:**

Raph punched the training dummy until his knuckles bled, despite having taped them up ahead of time. He knew that he had a lot of issues to work out, but punching them away wasn't working. Maybe some strength conditioning until he collapsed.

He'd asked one his brothers to spar with him, but they all knew better than to agree to that when he was in this kind of a mood. Besides, Leo and Venus were meditating with Sensei. Best not to interrupt Splinter, Splinter Jr. and Lady Splinter Jr.

Mikey was in the kitchen cooking something pleasant smelling with Lily. He could hear them laughing like idiots. And Donnie was in his lab trying to analyze what was left of the mind control worms. The worms.

He felt momentarily nauseous before the red haze of rage filled his mind and he drilled the training dummy with renewed force despite his bloody knuckles. It ripped in half with a smear of gore from the last punch with his damaged hand. Damn.

He was dripping all over the floor. Blood mingled with stuffing. He should fix the dummy and his hands, but when he wasn't punching he remembered. He could remember being controlled.

How he bowed before the Shredder and moved to that bastard's every command. Even trying to kill Leo. He remembered it all, powerless to stop it while he screamed inside. Trapped in the prison of his own body. The strength he'd cultivated to protect his family had been turned against them and he was powerless to stop it.

His fist clenched with the need to punch something, but the pain of that motion grounded him. Leo had brought him out of it. Leo had saved him. He had never realized how skilled Leo was at infuriating him.

Before this he would have given Mikey the award for most skilled button pusher, but where Mikey was merely annoying, Leo knew every chink in his psychological armor, flawlessly bringing him to full blown, mind numbing rage.

He had just never intentionally used that before. Irritating as it was that Leo could manipulate him so easily, he was glad of it. It had saved him. The fury had driven the worm out of his body and freed him from the mind control. He was also glad that Leo regularly refrained from using that knowledge to mess with him the rest of the time. Probably why he made a good leader.

With a tired sigh, he staggered off towards the bathroom. Donnie had the foresight to instill a simple first aid kit in there for things that his brothers could take care of themselves. It saved the brainiac from excessive interruptions and the rest of them from having to ask for help.

Biting back a cry of pain, he ripped the tape off and threw it out. Cringing, he shoved his hands in the hot water pouring from the faucet until the sink stopped draining red. Drying his hands, he tossed the blood stained towel into the hamper and began the painstaking task of bandaging his knuckles. Damn he'd made a mess of them this time. Knocking back a few ibuprofens, he wetted another towel and started out to go wipe the blood off of the floor.

The moment he opened the door, he froze. Lisa was out there. She had April's duster wrapped around her as usual, never really accepting the fact that her scales were her clothing. It was probably a human thing. Sensei had never really let go of the clothing habit despite being covered in fur. He'd wear his robes even in the full heat of summer.

Her limp brought back an irrational surge of anger at Slash. It wasn't fair though. He knew from experience that Slash had no control over his actions and he could see the guilt and remorse in his friend's eyes.

But he couldn't stop seeing Slash decking his father with that spiked mace. And when he'd returned, seeing that Lisa was hurt, he'd made Donnie tell him what happened to her. More aggressively than he probably should have, but he had trouble with patience when he was angry.

His imagination likely made it worse than it had actually been, but it was still hard not to hold it against Slash. They'd be ok. He just needed some time. If he could get past what Slash had done to his brothers, he could get past this.

Limp or not, she still had a natural grace about her. From the relative privacy of the bathroom doorway, he allowed himself to watch her as he never did when everyone was together.

If he thought anyone might see, he'd studiously bury his gaze somewhere else, usually in a magazine or comic that everyone knew he'd already read a million times and could not possibly warrant that level of interest. He'd been angry at her rejection at first and they'd spent most of their time during the invasion trading hurtful, biting quips.

Until they got home and Sensei had made him see the obvious. The girl had been abducted, imprisoned, mutated and tortured by the Shredder. For months. Her experience with him was all she knew of mutants. She'd had damn good reason to be scared when he was the first thing she saw upon waking.

He had no right to be angry with her, but when he'd tried to speak to her about it as Sensei suggested, she'd already started avoiding him like the plague. He'd terrified her and then systematically driven her away is if to prove her first impression was right. No wonder she couldn't stand him. He'd totally blown it. And now all he could do was try not to freak her out with his stupid fascination with her by avoiding her.

And then Sensei had offered to begin training her after the fight with Slash and Rockwell and she'd agreed. He didn't know what he was going to do when that started. For now, he'd just wait until she went back to her room before going out to clean his mess. She still spent most of her time there anyway.

Except she hadn't come out for something. She was heading towards the turnstiles. Out of the lair. Alone. His heart lurched. He dropped the towel and followed her.

* * *

Lisa peeked her head out of the room she shared with Lily. Calling it a room might be generous as it was just a set of homemade dividers around a corner of the rest of the living space. At least this abandoned subway station had been big.

The coast was clear. Raph had finally stopped murdering the custom-made family punching bag. Only Mikey and Lily were out here. Lily was blind and Mikey, not the most observant at the best of times, only had eyes for Lily when she was around. She wasn't sure how that was going to work out and until Lily wanted to talk to her about it, it wasn't here problem.

She winced with each step, trying not to limp, but unable to stop it. What had she been thinking? If the family of trained ninjas couldn't take on Turtle Hulk and Space Monkey, what chance did she have with a few weeks of mixed martial arts training? None of course.

But, he'd had Raph unconscious and slung over his shoulder. She'd never forgotten that compassionate voice and those kind green eyes that she'd woken up to. Completely unaware of how rare that was for him, she'd thrown it back in his face.

She'd tried to make it up to him later, but the damage was already done and being shut out became too painful, so she had started avoiding him as he did with her, so their hurt wouldn't cause them to say things they'd regret later. He had a temper as fierce as hers and she kind of liked that. Who else could understand her?

So she hung back and watched him as he went out, night after night to protect the weak and innocent at the expense of his own body. Somehow he felt compassion for the plights of total strangers. Enough to risk his life for them on a regular basis. It shamed her.

When she'd had the power to help other people, she'd never used it. Not once. He was just too good, saving people that would fear and hate him if they even glimpsed him. Like she had. He still hadn't forgiven her, but she never forgot how kind and gentle he'd been with her that first moment.

And then Slash had him. The next thing she knew, she was in a flying kick directed at the massive mutant tortoise, as if she wouldn't have bounced harmlessly off of him. Except he caught her by the ankle and swung her into a brick wall, leaving her with a badly bruised but mercifully unbroken hip and a serious concussion. Useless.

At least rat dad offered to teach her, seeing as she'd keep jumping into the fray anyway. Obviously the hip had to heal first, but she was looking forward to it. She hated being useless and maybe it would help keep the nightmares at bay.

Careful not to attract any attention from the kitchen, she crept to the turnstiles and hurried out into the subway tunnel, biting back a cry of pain when she a landed beside the tracks. Breathe. It would pass. Just breathe. She'd barely gone twenty feet when the scent of blood caught in her hypersensitive mutant nostrils. Only one person that could be.

"Raph." He stepped out of the shadows a mere five feet away and she had to fight not to jump. How'd he get so close without her noticing?

"Where do you think you're going on your own?"

"Why do you care?" He flinched and she wished she could take back the impulsive retort. Old habits die hard and it was in her nature to be abrasive.

"If you get caught, it could jeopardize the safety of our whole family." It was true of course. He had a right to be concerned. She was being selfish.

"Then I won't get caught." He frowned and avoided her eyes.

"You running away?" As if she'd ever leave Lily. What would she do on her own anyway? It wasn't as though she could go home like this.

"No. I just wanted to get a few things from where I was staying before…" She trailed off, unable to complete the thought safely.

"You're risking your skin and ours for some junk?" He was glaring at her in disbelief.

"It's not junk, it's…I've lost so much…I…" Not good. She was beginning to lose it and her sudden outburst of emotionality was clearing making him uncomfortable. Suck it up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Look. Don't worry, I'll be back in an hour or two. I promise." He shifted awkwardly, avoiding her gaze.

"It's not safe to go alone." Anger burned away the last of her emotional breakdown.

"Seriously, I'm not completely useless." She bit out the last word, hating it. Of course she was useless. Hadn't she proved that in the fight with Slash and Rockwell? He was back to glaring at her.

"I didn't say you were."

"I'm still going."

"I know. And I'm going with you." She couldn't help smiling. It was that old smirk that belonged to the person she used to be. Stop it idiot. He hates you. He's only doing this to keep his family safe from your stubborn stupidity. Still she felt lighter than air as she continued through the tunnel.

* * *

Thank God she'd turned around. He totally blanked when she smiled. It wasn't like the 'what do I do now' panic when she'd almost started crying. He could kick himself for that. Everyone had irreplaceable mementos. They'd all taken some with them, the night they'd fled the invasion.

Of course she had some things she'd want if the lair was going to be her home. Especially after everything she'd lost. He probably should have offered to get her stuff sooner. If he hadn't been trying so hard to avoid her.

But that last smile. Wicked and cocky. He'd never seen it before. It actually took him a minute or two to get his brain working again. Fortunately, he was faster than her when she wasn't limping, so he could catch up. Thank God she turned around so fast or she would totally know and she'd freak out all over again. No. He couldn't ever let her know.

* * *

It was dark. Which was a good thing. Alien invasion or no, if anyone saw her, they'd take off screaming. She knew he'd rather run the rooftops. He kept glancing up at them. But it would be a brutal climb up and there was no way she could leap between the buildings.

Well, maybe she could. She'd noticed that her lizard body was much stronger and more agile than her very athletic human body had ever been. But not with her hip injured. And she certainly didn't plan to test that out with such a long fall as the price for failing.

Having to stay hidden in alleys and waiting until streets were clear to move made the trip take much longer than originally planned. If she'd been thinking, she probably would have asked him how to get to the dormitory address from the sewers.

It would have been gross, but fast and safe. Going topside like this was putting them both at risk, but he wasn't complaining. He actually seemed unusually quiet. No snarky comments or cutting observations.

She would have welcomed them. A little banter would have done her some good. But he probably needed all his attention to keep them safe along the route she was taking. Another bad decision. Way to earn his respect. Whatever. She needed to get this done.

Two hours later, they were in the alley next to her building. At the time, she'd been annoyed that her room faced the alley, lamenting only seeing another crappy wall out her window. Now it was really convenient. If she could get up there. The fire escape should make it easy. Maybe she could use the dumpster to reach the bottom ladder. Her hip ached. This was going to hurt.

"Get on." Startled out of her thoughts, she turned to see Raph crouched down beside her, offering to carry her up on her back. He wasn't looking at her. She almost refused in a panic, but two things stopped her.

One, she didn't want to see that same hurt expression on his face as she had the first day she'd rejected his offer to help her. And she might never get an opportunity like this again. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and her legs around the back of his shell. He gasped and froze, stiffening under her touch. Oh well.

"It's on the fourth floor." Her words seemed to jar him out of his paralysis. She clamped down tight with a small yelp as he launched them both upwards, past the lower ladder to grab the first balcony railing.

Instead of jumping it and setting them both down to take the stairs, he just launched them both to the next balcony railing with the same exhilarating speed and power. Was he showing off? She didn't care. Stop thinking and enjoy.

His shell was glossy and finely textured beneath her legs and he smelled of sweat, blood and leather over a distinctly reptilian base. She would have thought that'd be unpleasant, especially with her mutation enhanced sense of smell. But it seemed the mutation had also rewired her interpretation of some scents. And overall, it was a smell she identified as him. She sighed. Sooner or later she was going to have to deal with this. Maybe she should talk to Lily about it.

Too soon, they were on the fourth floor balcony and he crouched down so that she could get off. Better than dumping her on her ass. Reluctantly, she let go and addressed the problem of getting inside.

Past Lisa had wisely locked the window before her trip, not realizing that future Lisa was going to need to break in at some point. Time to make this mutation work in her favor.

Using her small but sharp claws, she scored a square shape into the window glass above the lock. He got what she was doing and struck it with the hilt of his sai, breaking the glass in along the score marks. She flipped the lock and the window was open.

"I'll be right back." He nodded and she went in. The place was tossed. Not robbery tossed, but it was clear people had been pawing through her stuff. Of course they had. She'd disappeared. There would have been an investigation. What did she expect? Still based on the dust patterns, it looked like someone had been at it recently. Hmm. She would have thought that she'd be a cold case by now.

She made a beeline for her closet and yanked out a duffel bag. Still incredibly self-conscious about her new body, she glanced back at the window. Raph was sitting on the balcony, with his shell to the window and legs dangling off the edge.

Sighing in relief, she slipped free of April's coat, folded it carefully and placed it in the duffel bag. Now she needed some clothes. Something practical. For the first time ever, she cursed her taste is frilly delicate clothing.

She grabbed the tank tops that she'd packed in hopes of finding some paintball tournaments. Her body wouldn't fit in the full garb but the gray, black and olive sleeveless shirts that served as the base would work for now. She pulled the black one over her head and stuffed the other two in her bag.

At least being a skirt junkie would pay off. There was no way that she could pull off shorts or pants with stupid, enormous lizard tail. But she didn't really favor durable garments. Wait! She'd bought some rugged, knee length khaki skirts for the camping trip before conceding that skirts just weren't camping attire.

She slid one over her hips, struggling for a bit to get her tail in. It fit! She probably looked ridiculous but at least she was dressed in real clothing. She jammed the other skirts into her bag.

Hmm, her strappy sandals and heels might fit, but wouldn't exactly be practical. Plus the idea of tromping through a sewer in such lovely creations seemed sacrilegious. Well, there were the hiking boots she'd bought for the trip before realizing that she hadn't broken them in. Instead she'd worn the boots she usually took to the gun range when she'd gone with her father.

Well, she'd be breaking the boots in now. At least she'd waterproofed them in anticipation of the trip. Finding a thick pair of socks and packing a few more, she laced up her boots. Drab, but practical.

Well, she wasn't going to completely stop being herself. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail with a pink scrunchie and tied a gauzy pink scarf around her throat. Much better.

Next she bent over the floor of the closet and searched for the trap door she'd built. She hadn't minded losing the security deposit on the place. Considering that her guns and experimental mace were less than legal, it seemed like a reasonable precaution.

Hmm. Someone had found this, but they hadn't taken anything. If the police looking for had seen it surely they would have confiscated these. So who else was looking for her? A question for another time.

She pulled out the case with the semi-automatic pistols that her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday, tucking it carefully into her bag. She also had hip and back holsters along with spare magazines and ammo. Then there was the box of her mace experiments. Lastly, she gathered her tools and the drives containing her research.

She didn't know what she'd do with it, but it was hers and she'd worked too hard on it to just leave it behind. Zipping up the duffel bag, she tossed it over her shoulder and shivered in anticipation. Time to ride back down.


	101. Chapter 99: Obligation of Heaven VII

**Obligation of Heaven VII:**

Venus watched Lily leave the dojo, knowing better than to offer help. The girl had a sense of the space and could find her way to any of the doors once she'd oriented herself with the tree. And there were no worries about her falling off the steps. Mikey always meet her at the dojo doors when she was done.

He seemed pleasant enough, but Lily occupied so much of his time that she didn't really know him well, despite the weeks she had spent here. Still, she was making much more progress with Master Splinter's help. They'd narrowed it down to a region of the city. It was still too big to search, but better than she'd done on her own.

Mikey gave Lily an encouraging hug, before leading her off. Venus knew that the girl was disappointed but it could not be helped. She could feel the girl's power, sleeping inside of her. It was a wild, feral thing, different from her own carefully controlled and meticulously trained gift.

Lily's power was a force of nature and could not be made to heed hers or anyone else's beck and call. The visions would come and go as they willed and nothing could be done about that. But it wasn't completely hopeless.

Master Splinter's training had given her a taste of the control she could wield while under the influence of her visions. She could pull a great deal of information, not only from the situation she saw, but from the very minds that she inhabited.

And while the past was locked in stone, she possessed the ability to influence the present and the future while viewing them. The power was there. When she linked their minds and souls, she could feel it and had gained a rudimentary understanding of it. With that, she could guide Lily in its use.

But it was slow going. Lily had spent so much of her life either fighting and rejecting her gift or being a passive victim of it, only exerting any control in the most desperate of circumstances that it was hard for her to wrap her mind around the idea of actively using her abilities.

Until she let go of her past pain that her gift had caused her and fully embraced it as a part of herself, she'd never be able to fully access her potential. But Venus was a patient teacher. She wouldn't give up on Lily.

For now, she would meditate and prepare for her next lesson. It would still be some time before April arrived and when she did, she would most certainly be waylaid by Donatello with more of his sad attempts to seduce the poor girl.

She knew that she wasn't being fair to either of them, but it was difficult to think of Donatello without becoming furious. Somehow, despite all her training and mental fortitude, he kept managing to get under her shell and he wasn't even doing it on purpose.

She could handle the others with patience and calm, but it seemed like he was born to irritate her. Their last encounter had been the day before yesterday and she'd been avoiding him ever since.

Leonardo had asked her about her unique abilities, trying to compare them to the spiritual training of his own art. Her mind drifted back to that day, somewhat against her will.

"Well, some of it is similar. Particularly Qigong. With the right training, any person could learn to harness their breathing to either enhance their meditation, gaining the full range of benefits from it or to manage their internal chi to greatly improve their combat efficacy.

"There have been other martial art schools throughout the history of China that have employed it. But what makes our family special, is a divine gift passed down our lineage.

"We can use our own chi and that of the world around us to push combat abilities well beyond what should be physically possible, although if handled wrong such a use could prove fatal to the wielder.

"We can also physically manifest it as almost an elemental weapon, though I cannot do that myself and have not actually seen it done. I most frequently use it to enhance myself and connect with the minds and spirits of others as well as to purify and control myself. I admit that I am still a novice despite the years I've trained. Supernatural powers are not as easily mastered as mundane skills."

Leonardo's thoughtful nod was interrupted by a particularly loud snort of incredulity to cap off all the smaller ones produced during her explanation. Her eyes narrowed as she shot a glance at Donatello, working on his laptop on the couch about ten feet away from them.

"Is there something you need to say or are you ill?" He blushed, apparently not aware that he'd been audible, but quickly recovered.

"No, it's just…hard to take you seriously. I mean supernatural skills? Come on." Her cheeks burned with humiliation and anger.

"Excuse me. Are you saying that I am making this up?" She was accustomed to the respect and reverence of the disciples who joined their monastic order. Yes, the average layman might doubt, but such complete dismissal from a true practitioner was an insult to both herself and him.

"No, no. I'm sure that you believe it and maybe you can do some of it, but I'll wait for some actual proof before buying into that. Whatever you can do though isn't some divine gift or inexplicable magic.

"It has a real, scientific explanation, that you just don't know and so you cover it up with superstition. If I have a chance to observe and study you using any of your so called talents, I'll certainly figure it out and explain it to you."

He was so confident that he didn't notice that she was too furious to speak until Leonardo nervously backed off, lest he be caught in the blast radius should she explode. Donatello's eyes widened in confusion.

"I mean, I'm sure you want to know how it really works instead of whatever fairytale you grew up with, right?"

"So I am an ignorant and naïve fool who requires enlightenment from you then?" He jerked back as though her words had struck him.

"I didn't say that. I mean, you were obviously very sheltered from the real world, so you can be excused for believing in fantasy, but you've been here long enough that you have to know how silly it is. I mean no rational person actually believes in magic…"

"So I'm either not rational or still a sheltered child?"

"Umm, no. Not as much as before anyway."

"Not as much…"

"I mean, you used to think you were some kind of mythical creature before you learned about the Kraang and mutagen." Leonardo gasped and for a moment Venus's mind blanked. Her origins and personal struggles with understanding them had nothing to do with her art and its proud history.

He had to know that she was still grappling with the truth of her identity. They all did. How dare he use that against her when it wasn't even relevant. Her futile grasping to comprehend what she was and why she was different were nothing compared to her family's divine responsibility to protect the world from the Dragonlord.

Hurt and angry, she was in front of him before he could blink connecting her fist with his jaw in an uppercut that sent him flying over the back of the couch and his laptop clattering to the floor. She would have kept going if she hadn't felt Leonardo's hand on her shoulder. It took a minute or two of careful breathing to regain mastery of herself.

When she opened her eyes again, Donatello was sitting on the floor, rubbing his jaw in shock as her stared up at her, his gap tooth visible while his mouth dangled open.

"That was low. You don't have to believe in what I can do, but never stoop to such tactics just to win a meaningless argument if you aren't prepared to fight." At least he'd had the decency to look ashamed.

Venus banished the memory as it was upsetting her calm. He just couldn't believe in anything that he couldn't measure, test and analyze. He was so sure that there was nothing more to the world than could be explained by science and couldn't stop himself from trying to convince her of what he perceived to be the error of her ways. He was arrogant and condescending and she wished that she didn't care what he thought.

But when Master Splinter had welcomed her, he along with the others had become part of her new family. And it mattered that her family did not think she was a child or a fool. But he would never believe.

He couldn't allow himself to do that without his entire world view crumbling down around him like an unstable house. After going through such a self-destructive revelation of her own, she couldn't blame him. But he could stop needling her about her beliefs. If he truly had confidence in his own, he shouldn't need everyone to agree with him.

Ugh. There would be no meditation if she kept dwelling on Donatello. Breathe. In and out. In and out. Let it flow away. When her anger at him had been released, she found herself still unable to meditate as her mind now drifted towards Leonardo.

At least it was a more pleasant distraction. He was a true warrior. She had watched him train with diligence and skill. He was a fitting leader, knowing how best to hone his brothers into a formidable team and had a breathtaking gift for tactics and planning.

In the short time she'd been here, he'd more than earned her respect. More than that, he alone among his brothers bothered with any kind of mental or spiritual training and she sensed in him great potential.

He was her preferred companion, reminding her of the sense of discipline and responsibility that she'd only ever known at home. It made him seem familiar and comforting as her entire world changed violently around her.

She couldn't help but hope that one day, when this was all over she could convince him to come back to China and see her home. Meet her brother. Of all four of them, surely Leonardo was the one that Da-Huan would respect and approve of. Not that he needed to approve of Leonardo, but…until recently, she'd always assumed that she would be alone her whole life. Now, maybe…

"Hey Venus!" April's voice brought an abrupt end to her ruminations and her eyes snapped open.

"You're earlier than I expected."

"Yeah well, Donnie got side tracked by Lisa. Something about Physics I think. Anyway, I was able to go straight to the dojo." Venus smiled.

"He must be disappointed then." April frowned and sighed.

"I'll catch up with him afterwards." Shaking away her heavier thoughts, she focused back in on Venus.

"So, I've been practicing the exercises that you taught me and I think I'm ready for a trial run." Venus raised an eye ridge at her.

"Do you now?" But April was bold by nature.

"Yeah." Venus considered her for a moment. Her power was much different from Lily's. It felt like something artificial, logical and carefully constructed. With practice and training she could master and wield it like any of her other combat skills. But as with those skills, if she tried something that she wasn't ready for, she could hurt herself.

It didn't help that her gift felt very foreign to Venus, so figuring out how to use it was a process of trial and error between them as Venus gave her the training that would make her mentally strong enough to wield it when the time came.

She liked the fierce young woman and did not want to see her hurt, but April enjoyed pushing her limits. Especially since her ability had proved instrumental in protecting her family on more than one occasion. No wonder she was eager to use it at will.

"Very well. Have a seat. We'll try something simple."

* * *

Yes! Venus had finally consented to a field test. It was no less a personal victory than when she'd convinced Master Splinter to give her a weapon. Time to see if all the mental training that she'd stacked onto her physical training was paying off.

No more hoping that her psychic abilities would randomly function or panic induced overuses that set her brain on fire. She'd use it when she wanted to for the specific purpose that she wanted it for. Finally, she'd have some return on investment for everything her she and her family had endured because of the Kraang's machinations.

She sat down in front of Venus and waited for that unnerving sensation when Venus connected their minds. It didn't make it any less creepy that her normally black eyes would glow blue when she did so.

It wasn't like headlights, just a sense of ambient brightness as her eye changed color. When she was like this it always reminded April of the water in those travel commercials for Caribbean resorts. Not unpleasant but still strange.

"We will focus on your extrasensory awareness, restricting ourselves to familiar targets. Perhaps we will get a sense of your range. Start with the others in the lair. Find them and identify what they are doing."

At this point, words were no longer necessary. Venus, linked to her as she was, would know whether or not she'd succeeded. She wasn't guiding or interfering, just observing as April attempted the task.

First she found Donatello, in his lab. He was at his computer looking over some research Lisa had given him on a flash drive, requesting his opinion. It was strange. She could sense his thoughts and feelings along with him. The thoughts were mostly scientific gibberish, but the feelings ranged from genuine curiosity to sorrow. Sorrow?

What was making her best friend sad? Her. It was her. He was sad that she hadn't said hi to him when she'd arrived. He was trying not to be hurt about it. Trying to rationalize it.

Immediately, she yanked her mind away from his, feeling guilty. Well guiltier than usual. She had to do something about that, but no matter what she did it was going to hurt and she couldn't stand the thought of hurting him. But the longer she waited the worse it would be.

 _Focus!_ Venus's command rang through her mind and she kept moving. Outside the lab, Lisa was in her room, waiting for Donnie's assessment while she made notes on her latest defense spray formula. She should ask Lisa for some of her prototypes. A kunoichi couldn't have too many weapons at her disposal after all. But Lisa's mind kept drifting to a very distracting pair of green eyes. Who?

 _Keep going._ Venus urged and she drew her mind away from Lisa. Hmm, Lily was seated at a table in the kitchen. April could feel the disappointment roiling within her. That she was still at the mercy of her capricious visions.

But Mikey's voice kept encroaching on her dark thoughts, driving them back and replacing them with joy and hope. He seemed to brighten her darkness. Her mind naturally moved to Mikey next, likely a combination of his proximity and her attention to him. He was cooking lunch, his mind awash with theories on how udon might be combined with pizza. April thought she'd pass on lunch today.

But surprisingly, he was always aware of Lily. And her distress, taking intentional care to be extra noisy and goofy while he worked. Coaxing her out of her dark mood with a combination of singing, that he couldn't help dancing to, and requests for her to sample his progress every few minutes.

Hmm, maybe he was less oblivious than she'd always thought. Until he ended up juggling a hot pan of noodles before dumping it all in the sink and sucking on his mild burns. Ok, just as oblivious as she thought, except when it came to Lily.

Raph was on the couch, flipping through television stations without really seeing them. April recoiled a bit from his mind as it was a roiling mess of anger and frustration. He kept reliving that incident where the Shredder had used those creepy worms on him to take over his mind.

Under the anger, she could feel his remembered fear, helplessness and sense of violation. But it was softened by another recent memory. A pleasant weight on his back and the scent of lilac.

 _April!_ Venus's voice pulled her back and she felt ashamed. She'd been rooting through his private thoughts and feelings without his permission and because she knew how he felt about being mind-controlled, she knew exactly how much he'd appreciate her nosing around in his head. Sorry Raph. Evening out her breathing, she continued.

Leo was nearby on a bean bag chair reading a Space Heroes comic, wondering if it would be possible to apply Captain Ryan's tactics to the mind control worm problem, based on his reaction to a similar situation confronted by the crew of the Dauntless. What seemed so practical in the show did not translate well to real life.

But the train of thought was a distraction to pull his mind away from worrying about Sensei and the injuries Slash had given him. She pulled away from Leo before she could invade his deeper thoughts as she'd done Raph, feeling Venus's approval at her discretion.

Finally, her mind settled on Sensei. He was in his room, trying to meditate, but instead thinking about Miwa. Missing her. His grief was so intense, it hurt to have her mind so close to his.

Unintentionally, she took the next most logical path away from him, abandoning geographic proximity as his thoughts of Miwa prompted her while she fled. It was disorienting. She wasn't sure where she was. Someplace warm and bright and confining. There was a gnawing hunger in her and every sound made her instincts scream to attack. Where was she? Why did she feel so predatory?

Instinctively April dug, looking for something less alien to comfort her. There was pain and loss and grief. A father's scent and soft warm fur. Serious blue eyes that carried hope in their gaze. Karai?

She could feel her huddled deep within her mind, rejecting what had happened to her on a primal level while her more rational self fought for control over the inhuman snake-like consciousness. But it was a losing battle as she drowned in her own instincts.

For some reason, unclear to April, she recalled the night Leo had visited her balcony and woken her up to tell her about the fascinating girl he'd met, all shy blushes and nervous fidgets. She was startled to realize that Karai was watching the memory with her, aware of it. Feeling bold, she reached out for a more direct communication.

 _Leo. He doesn't care what you are. Not when you were his enemy in the Foot clan and not when you're a mutant snake now. He cares who you are. And nothing can change that. Whatever you are is ok as long as you're you. Embrace yourself and take control._

Karai's mind trembled at her thoughts and she could feel the metaphysical equivalent of Karai grasping her outstretched hand and allowing her to be pulled up out of the personal hell she'd constructed for herself. With their combined strength, she switched places with the primitive snake mind, banishing it deep within, while her true self took over.

Suddenly April felt herself being violently yanked away from Karai. Her mind was crashing back into her body, forcefully and she felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

"April! April are you ok?" She just groaned.

"What happened? I lost contact with you after you identified Master Splinter. I was able to pull you back, though it wasn't easy. Are you hurt?"

"I may have overextended myself a bit." Her eyes cracked open and Venus was giving her a relieved smile.

"I did notice that I got a lot more than the mere location and activity that I asked for, not counting your impulsive field trip." April winced.

"Sorry. It's hard to block out thoughts and feelings when I find someone." Venus nodded.

"It's a matter of control, focus and attention. We'll work on it. For now, you must rest." April nodded and closed her eyes, wondering if her encounter with Karai was real or imagined.


	102. Chapter 100: Lost VI

**Lost VI:**

Karai blinked. Her eyes felt foreign and unnatural. In fact her entire body felt…wrong. With a shudder, she contorted herself back into a smaller, more familiar form. Her vision was still strange, her skin still felt scaly and there were still fangs folded back into the roof of her mouth that she could examine with her bizarrely skinny, forked tongue. Apparently this was as close to normal as she could get. Even now her body felt unstable as though she could accidentally alter it with a stray thought.

A glance towards her hands rewarded her with a pair of snake heads instead. Fighting not to scream, she willed them back into their proper shape, or whatever their proper shape used to be. She instinctively tried wiping her hands off on her clothes as though that would somehow remove the snakiness from them.

To her horror, she realized that she wasn't actually wearing clothes. Apparently her clothing had fused into her during her mutation and was now a part of her scaly, serpentine form. Her body looked and was shaped like she was wearing her kunoichi garb, but it was merely her flesh. Scale armored flesh, but no true fabric or metal.

For a moment she thought she was going to be sick. Monster. She was a horrible, terrifying monster! Why did she fight so hard back to awareness? There was nothing for her now.

He cares who you are, not what you are. Where did that thought come from? It didn't matter, she felt like she could breathe again. Leo. He was why she'd come back to this. If she'd let the snake control her, she might have hurt him. Or her father. Especially her father.

Just thinking about him made her fangs unfurl and she wrestled with her instincts before suppressing them. That would take some work. Leo. Longing and fear warred within her until her mind flooded with distorted and broken recollections of him over the past few months and longing won.

The last time she saw him seemed burned in her memory as a rare moment of lucidity. He thought he could change her back, save her. He was so heartbroken when it didn't work. But he wanted her to come home anyway. After everything she did. Even though she was a dangerous monster.

He could still see her. Somehow he could always see to heart of who she was and drew out the best in her. It didn't matter whether she was a mortal enemy, sworn to kill him, or a monster driven by instinct to attack him. He disregarded the danger and reached out to her. But she couldn't put him at risk.

For that one instant with her mind intact, she chose to save him, to protect him. To make what seemed like the first responsible choice in an entire life of lies and mistakes. It didn't matter if she ever managed to become human again. He didn't care. Somehow, she would gain control and mastery over this body and its deadly urges. Then she would find her way home. To him.

That thought spurred her to take stock of her surroundings. She was in a giant terrarium. Where? A buzzing sound drew her attention to the lab outside of her prison. A familiar mutant fly was flitting from a set of test tubes to a giant chalkboard full of scientific looking gibberish.

Why was he using that when there were computers everywhere? Whatever. He was always a weird idiot.

"Stockman! Get me out of her at onsssse!" He jumped at the sound of her voice, reacting almost instinctively to the authority it radiated until her hiss. He zoomed up to the glass in front of her.

"Karaizzzz?"

"Who elsssse fool? Releasssse me at onsssse." The hissing was going to get old really fast. She would just have to work on. Like any other habit, it could be controlled.

"Thatzzzz up to the Zzzzzzhredderzzzz." A spike of hatred and fear, mixed with a confusing tinge of love shot through her at the sound of her one time father's moniker.

How could she feel anything but hate for that monster? How could she completely disregard her entire childhood? Why couldn't this be simple? It would be if she could just get out here. If she could get home to Leo. He would help her understand. No one understood her better.

"Then get him! I want out!" No hissing. She sighed in relief. She could do this. Stockman gave a twitchy, jerking shrug.

"You will bezzz outzzz, when the Mazzzter dezzzidezz on zzzhe mindzzz control." With that he zipped back to the chalkboard, leaving her shaking and stunned. Mind control? A sudden memory from her snake time hit her, leaving her gasping for breath.

She had flashes of Raphael, strapped to an examination table in the room in front of her. He was struggling. Then Stockman put that horrible worm into him. It had been awful. She shuddered and fought not to be sick.

But that wasn't the most frightening part. The human scientist had watched the battle on one of the computer monitors. The Shredder along with his henchmen and…puppets versus the remaining turtles and their mutant friends. But before that. Before she watched Raph try to kill his own brother.

After…it was in him, Raphael, he was so obedient and servile. To his enemies. Raph was never obedient and servile to anyone, let alone people he hated. He knelt before the Shredder on command.

Oh God. Was that her fate? All the misery and hiding. Turning away from Leo's offer of aid. The pain of regaining control. Just to be turned into a weapon against him anyway. She screamed as she pounded on the glass in front of her.

"No!"


	103. Chapter 101: The Cost of Power V

**The Cost of Power V:**

Shredder sat on his throne, glaring down at the two cowering scientists before him, vying for credit regarding the restoration of his daughter's mind. It was obvious Karai had managed it on her own and they had done nothing, but they dared lied to him anyway.

He couldn't kill them. Yet. He still needed a perfect mind control solution. Not only for his army, but for his child. When he'd seen her, she was as sullen and rebellious as the last time he'd been forced to imprison her. She would not listen to reason. Until he could make her understand that it was Splinter who'd destroyed her life, not him, the father who'd raised her from infancy, he needed something to keep her behavior in check. Lest she do something she'd regret later, when she was back in her right mind.

He also couldn't risk letting Amaya speak to her until he knew she'd hold her tongue. Amaya was too volatile to understand the situation. Fortunately, she was too distracted with hunting down their mutual enemies. But sooner or later she'd check in and would want to see Karai. He needed this under control before then.

"Stockman! Have you solved the design flaw in your method?" The idea of putting one of those worms into his child was unappealing, but he was victorious because he was willing to do what others would not.

"Zzzzorry Mazzzzter. Intenzzzze anger zzzztill cauzzzzezzzz the body to reject zzzhe worm."

"Fool. Filtch. What of your work?" It was untested, but the man kept insisting that it was more reliable and inescapable than Stockman's. As much fun as battle testing the turtles against each other had been, he was annoyed that they hadn't obtained his primary target, the smart one.

Additionally, no one had used the opportunity to get the location of the turtles' lair. That should have gone without saying. Incompetent fools! Filtch screwed up his courage before speaking.

"I have designed a strain of mutagen from zombie fungus. It was tricky as the substance is naturally quite simplistic in the way the infectious spores control the behavior of the infected, but after some tweaking and testing, I've finally got one that makes the infected respond to the source mutant's every whim.

"Unfortunately, it required an animal base to work properly. I've found that slugs seem particularly well suited towards containing and growing the necessary fungal spores. With this you can create a mutant general to control any mutant infected by the general's proximity.

"As long as the general lives, nothing can break free of the mind control which happens at the cellular level. And it's much easier to apply that growing those worms and forcing them into subjects." The fool actually looked smug.

"The worms are biologically keyed to me. Who exactly to you expect me to trust with the unconditional control of my armies?" Filtch faltered.

"I uh… You could take the mutagen…"

"You expect me to become a slug mutant!?"

"No. Of course not! I can fix it. Make the mutation barely noticeable!"

"You have a week to produce something acceptable or you will end up like Stockman." Filtch literally collapsed into a full body bow of supplication.

"No Master. Not that. I will not fail you." Although he didn't show it, he was actually pleased with Filtch's work, but the man needed to learn some humility and subservience. It would do him well to squirm.

The obvious solution was to apply Stockman's worms to any generals created with the mutagen. Once Stockman fixed the problem that allowed the controlled mutant to break free. As much as he wanted his armies, he wanted foolproof control over them. But with Amaya's imminent return, he didn't have time to wait at the moment.

"Stockman. Prepare a worm for Karai."


	104. Chapter 102: Fallen IV

**Fallen IV:**

Angel dried her hair with a towel and examined the effect in the mirror. Her long, silky black hair now had vibrant purple streaks on each side framing her face. As expected it complemented her features well.

Once again, she couldn't help wondering who her father was. She looked so little like her mother. It was only in the shape of her face that she could detect any of her mother's appearance. Otherwise she seemed to bear no resemblance to the blonde, blue-eyed woman.

The shape of her eyes and texture of her hair had a distinctly Asian quality to them, but her brown irises and caramel skin tone suggested Hispanic. It was no use asking. Nothing made her mother clam up faster than asking about her father. Eventually she'd just given up. It didn't matter. Who needed a father anyway?

She went back to her closet. It was her first day of school, sort of, and this was a chance to establish the identity she wished to project. Granted, as it was summer, this was just placement testing to decide where she belonged, but it was still her fresh start. Not that she was really changing much, except the hair.

She let the wet strands hang free, drying in the air as she put on a black tank top, jeans and black boots. After some hesitation, she pulled on her black arm warmers and purple gloves despite the heat.

Experience had taught her that they were necessities in the somewhat likely eventuality of a fight. No bloody mess of abrasions. Plus it hid bruises well, diminishing the chances of her mom discovering her falling back into old habits, should she need to teach someone a lesson. Not necessarily comfortable in summer, but practical to her nature.

She could hear the door close outside her room as her mother left for work, trusting her to get to school on her own. It wasn't like she didn't know where it was. Angel had gone with her mother to register.

She considered tying her hair back to keep it out of the way, but as usual rejected the idea. Wearing her hair loose and free suited her better. Besides she liked the way the purple streaks looked hanging down.

There was a tie in her pocket, if she needed to pull it back for any reason. She wasn't vain enough to disadvantage herself over it. But until that became necessary, she'd leave it as it was. This was the self she wanted to be after all.

* * *

Miri smiled as she walked away from another park lunch with Arnold. Losing her Aunt Candice had been such a strain, it was a relief to have a stable support in her life again. She wondered briefly how much a factor he'd been in choosing this job. He was like the big brother she'd never had and right now, she needed family. If only Gabrielle were still alive.

Once again she felt the pang of loss over her best friend, despite the years. Would she still miss Aunt Candice this much in the decades to come? Probably. She could never really let go of the people who had saved her. At least she still had Arnold. Maybe someday when Casey and Angel outgrew their teenage rebellion they'd feel safe about bringing the families together formally. That would be nice.

She staggered back as some young men dashed out of a convenience store in front of her, cash and knives in hand. She broke into a cold sweat and began to tremble, unable to move. Those tattoos. Purple Dragons.

But they were looking past her and their eyes widened in fear and surprise. As she tried to process that they weren't attacking her, dragging her back into a life she'd foolishly thought herself free from, she saw them dive for cover.

Were those car tiles squealing behind her? Before she could turn, something hit her in the back, repeatedly. Confused, she pitched forward into the pavement, strangely numb as everything faded to black.

* * *

Angel strode out of the school building and saw the police officers waiting for her. She knew that she hadn't done anything wrong. Yet. So why? Suddenly, the memory of the night Aunt Candice died danced at the forefront of her mind, taunting her. No. No. No!

* * *

Arnold dragged himself into the police station in a state of grief and shock. He'd just spoken to her. How could this have happened? Although he'd already made funeral arrangements for Miri, despite the strain it put on his carefully stored up finances, it still didn't seem real to him.

He knew that she didn't have anyone else, but somehow it still surprised him that she'd chosen him to handle things in case of the unthinkable. Except he had to think about it now. She was gone. Just as temptation had reared its ugly head when Gabrielle died, he really, really wanted a drink.

But Casey and Maria still needed him. Angel too now. Swallowing back the traitor desire, he found the officer's desk that he'd been instructed report to. The man looked up from some paperwork at his approach.

"Mr. Jones." He nodded solemnly. The man sighed.

"Angel's with the social worker right now. I'll take you to her."

"Can you tell me what happened?" His voice sounded strange, detached, as though it didn't belong to him.

"Vipers made a drive by hit on some Purple Dragons. She was caught in the crossfire." Vipers? Their gang was still active? Since when did such losers manage to get guns? Why hadn't he stomped them all to oblivion back when he was Hun of the Purple Dragons? His dark musings were abruptly interrupted.

"Angel wait!" He was nearly bowled over as a girl burst past him, charging out of the station in a black and purple streak while her social worker reached after her impotently. Oh God. Angel had overheard. Without thinking he charged out of the station after her, followed by some startled officers. But she was already gone without a trace.


	105. Chapter 103: What Lies in Shadow VII

**What Lies in Shadow VII:**

Kitsune ghosted into the cathedral throne room and bowed low. He did love his pageantry after all. She couldn't fault him for it. It was a familiar quality that warmed her with memories long past. After all he'd also loved it.

Behind her mask, she smiled as the ghostly, serpentine form coiled around the Shredder possessively, learning him, investigating any detail that might make the transition more fluid. Her heart ached to touch him, but not yet.

"Kitsune. I did not summon you."

"Do you ever Master?"

"No." His response was clipped and tense. Perhaps some part of him was aware of the passenger lurking so close. Or it could be the general frustration of a control freak towards one who came and went of her own accord.

"Your lieutenants have operations covered in other parts of the world. I thought my services would be best used here in our most important of tasks."

"I suppose you know then?"

"That Hamato Yoshi lives and hides from your wrath within this city? I'm afraid that information has filtered through most of the organization by this point." He sighed.

"Karai's condition is not such common knowledge though." His gazed snapped back towards her, locking on with an intensity that made her quiver. Soon it would be him looking at her with such intensity.

"All will be set right my lord. Allow me to aid you." He hesitated. Of all who had worn the Kuro Kabuto, he trusted her the least and rightly so, avoiding her counsel if he could at all avoid it.

But his enemies had humiliated and evaded him for too long. It threatened his carefully cultivated reputation. That coupled with the loss of his daughter was too much. She had chosen her timing perfectly. Against his better judgement, he nodded.


	106. Chapter 104: Obsession V

**Obsession V:**

Filtch cursed as he dug around his desk back at the R&D lab, a job he'd once found so boring and mundane. What he wouldn't give to have never diverged off of that path. But he wasn't going to end up a mutant fly like Stockman. No way. Not him.

There was no way he could produce what the Shredder wanted in a week. It had taken him forever to figure this much out and he'd been so proud of it. But of course the man wouldn't want to be a mutant slug.

Although he was served by mutants and took full advantage of their powers, he never hid his disgust or disdain of them. But such men never trusted anyone but themselves. To ask him to hand over his entire arsenal to another and hope that one wouldn't turn on him was insane. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen the obvious dilemma before. Now he was out of time.

He had to skip town and hope that the Shredder didn't catch him. As the last of his secret files were transferred to his external hard drive, he unplugged it and stuffed it in his bag. He could start over new, somewhere else. Find a country that the Foot clan didn't have a presence in.

Just beyond him was the vial with the mutagen sample he'd been so eager to show to the Shredder. Despite backfiring, it wasn't a bad piece of work and one of the few he'd done on his own, rather than stolen from someone else. There was something oddly satisfying about producing it all on his own. He removed it from the bag and examined it in wonder. Maybe he should do more of his own work.

Suddenly a strong hand gripped his other wrist and twisted it behind his back, causing so much pain he yelped and almost dropped the vial. The vial! He could use it as a weapon. Craning his head back, he tried to get a sense of his captor. If it was a Footbot, he was screwed.

The glimpse he got almost made his sag in relief. The Shredder hadn't discovered his treachery. But who was this man? He'd never seen him before. He was large and very, very strong.

From what he could make out of the man's clothes, he'd describe them as black ops casual. And from what little he could see of his head, he'd been able to make out reddish brown hair and brown eyes. Eye really. The other was covered with an eyepatch, pirate style. If he wasn't one of the Shredder's then who?

"Dr. Phineas Filtch is it?" A cold voice drew his attention away from his captor. A man with dark brown hair and matching empty eyes, wearing an expensive business suit approached him. He seemed ordinary enough, but Filtch had enough recent experience with evil men to sense the danger in him. What could this man possibly want with him?

Slowly and deliberately, the suit lined up his computer chair in front of the immobilized Filtch and took a seat in it making himself comfortable. He eyed Filtch again, seemingly waiting for a response.

"Dirk, I think our friend has forgotten how to speak." The brute behind him twisted his arm further up his back, slowly and deliberately increasing the pressure on his delicate joints until Filtch thought the bones might snap. Amidst his involuntary screaming, he managed to respond to the question.

"Yes! Yes I am! Stop dammit!" The pressure eased up.

"That's better. I think you understand how important it is that you answer my questions now." Filtch nodded, ashamed as tears streaked down his face. The evil suit man smiled unnervingly.

"I'm Arthur James Howard. You may have heard of me." Filtch froze. The man who owned the company. That girl's uncle. But he'd been so careful. He couldn't know. There was no way.

"It's come to my attention that you were involved in the unfortunate disappearance of my niece, Lisa Webster." How? How could he know?

"Don't deny it, we're already past that. What I'd like to know is where she is and what's become of her?" He swallowed hard. What could he say that wouldn't make this go very badly for him?

"I don't know…" Another twist and he was screaming again. The pressure finally let up, leaving him panting for breath.

"Phineas. Phineas. Phineas. I thought you understood about answering my questions completely and honestly." He found his traitor body nodding again with a restrained sob.

"We wouldn't want my colleague to have to use some of his tools. Things could get…messy. Now why did you take my niece and where is she?" He gulped for breath and dove in, heedless of the consequences.

"She was nosy. Found my secrets."

"The piracy of other people's intellectual property or your involvement with the Foot clan?" He cringed. How much did this man already know?

"The piracy."

"I see. And you became concerned over your career?" He nodded.

"Is she dead?" He shook his head.

"At least I don't think so."

"You don't think so?"

"She escaped and no one has seen her in weeks."

"Escaped? From where?"

"I gave her to the Foot clan. They are doing some…unorthodox medical experiments. I thought she would just disappear into the program. But she escaped."

"You say that she escaped, but she didn't return home." He cringed again.

"That's not surprising. She's…different now. You might not recognize her." The man's mouth straightened into a thin hard line and Filtch knew that he was doomed, unless… He slowly and carefully started to unscrew the cap from the vial in his free hand.

"Well, I'm going to need all the details of that experiment and an accurate description of her current appearance." He bobbed his head, hoping to buy more time.

"There is another matter. I have a second missing niece, Lily Howard. I don't suppose you were involved in that one as well." Who? How many missing relatives did this guy have?

"No. I only ever knew Lisa and that was a foolish, impulsive act when she discovered me." Howard's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure?" Another violent twist and he screamed, probably blubbering about not knowing this second girl or some such. With all the pain his mind didn't have time to fixate on trivial matters like what he was saying.

Finally his bones snapped with a sickening, brittle sound and one kind of pain transformed into another. He had never known it came in so many varieties. Part of his brain found it fascinating while the rest just screamed at him to get away, to make it stop. Somewhere, someone away from him sighed.

"I suppose that it was too much to hope that Lily and Lisa's disappearances were connected." A piece of metal was loose in his hands. That was supposed to be important. The cap! He'd gotten the cap off and had somehow managed not to spill the mutagen on himself. This was his chance.

With an animalistic cry that he would not previously thought himself capable of producing, he swung his free arm out, sending a splash of mutagen into Howard's face. As he hoped, the thug who held him released him in momentary shock.

Adrenaline raging, he threw himself away from the man, paying no mind to his injuries. No doubt he'd be aware of them again soon enough. But freedom was short lived. The sole of a boot slammed into his back, throwing him to the floor hard on his broken arm.

White hot, electric agony lanced through his body, making him scream like a wounded animal and his consciousness hovered on the cusp of being lost. Before his body could decide whether or not to pass out, a boot came down hard on the delicate bones of his neck that connected his skull to his body, crushing them into fragments and he died to the sound of Howard's screams.

* * *

For a moment, A. J. sat stunned as the thick viscous material splattered across his face. What the… Before he could finish that thought, his world was consumed by brutal, gut wrenching pain. It must have been acid. It must. It felt like he was melting. Like his flesh was disintegrating into oozing puddles and his very bones were dissolving.

Except he was still alive and completely conscious of the experience. It was as though someone had dumped him into a tub of lye and fast forwarded the timeline. All he could do was scream until there was no more throat left to scream with as he liquefied into primordial goo.


	107. Chapter 105: Loyalty and Honor IV

**Loyalty and Honor IV:**

In an instant of consuming rage, Dirk stomped the little bastard's neck, snapping his spinal cord free from his brain and ending his life. How dare he? The anger dissipated as A. J.'s screams become more agonizing and intense.

He hovered over his dying friend. His brother, for once completely unsure of what to do. It was rare that anything so completely paralyzed him with indecision as he was a man of action. He was aware that all this passed in a very short amount of time, but while A. J. lay suffering, it had felt like an eternity.

He's dead. Oh God, he's dead. He just stared blankly at the blob of gray goo in A. J.'s business suit, until he heard it groan. Saw it breathing. Somehow he was still alive. No more hesitation. He lifted up the blob and whipped out his cell phone as he dashed from the room.

* * *

Dirk sat in a chair beside the bed on one of A. J.'s less official New York penthouses. The last of several highly discreet doctors had just left in complete befuddlement. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and could actually feel the bags underneath them. He'd lost track of how long it had been since he'd slept. Knowing how long he could manage without sleep, it really must have been a while.

A. J. shifted in the bed beside him, but he didn't flinch. He refused to. Not like all those cowardly medical men who'd come to call. His friend now looked like a humanoid slug. That was the only way to describe it.

His torso was a soft, slimy gray tube with rubbery limbs coming out of it at the four corners. He didn't seem to naturally have hands for feet anymore, but could morph the edge of his appendages into them with enough concentration. His face was just one giant gaping mouth and his now yellow eyes, rested atop two slender stalks poking out of the top of his head.

No one knew what this was or anyway to reverse it. If only he hadn't been so hasty and careless. He should have frisked and disarmed Filtch at the start, but the little weasel had seemed so harmless and A. J. was impatient to get started.

He shouldn't have killed him either. They could be questioning him right now. Getting the answers that the doctors couldn't provide. Or at least giving him the appropriately slow and agonizing death he richly deserved. He was pretty sure A. J. was thinking the same thing, but was a good enough man not to throw it in Dirk's face. His utter failure. He was briefly startled when A. J. spoke, still not familiar his new wet and slurry voice.

"That man Filtch. He said that Lisa was changed. That I wouldn't recognize her. Do you suppose this is what he meant?" Dirk considered that with his exhausted mind. Yes it was possible.

"I think you're right. Do you need to me to investigate the Foot clan and their experiments?"

"No. That I want to do myself."

"But A. J…"

"Get Dr. Zhao on the phone. I think it's time for a progress report on her research into synthetic skin and hair. I have need of it."


	108. Chapter 106: Huntress VI

**Huntress VI:**

Alopex reviewed what she knew as she scanned the skyline from her rooftop perch. Her targets knew about the Shredder's lab. The one that was some much like the one that created her, she reflected bitterly. They had rescued experiments from it. They were familiar enough. But not just any would do.

The blue one was cautious. Too cautious. The purple one was smart. Would notice too much and ask too many questions. The orange one would be ideal, but she had yet to see that one without the others in all her observations, save once.

And given how that outing with the gecko boy had turned out, she considered it unlikely that the orange would be allowed free roam alone again. They were very protective of that one and rightly so. Too naïve, innocent and trusting. Perfect for her purposes but unavailable.

That left red. She'd need to be careful, but it was doable. Red frequently went out alone. Well mostly alone. Mask boy was not a serious factor though. He wouldn't interfere.

As if her thoughts had summoned them, the duo appeared, trouncing some muggers in an alley. It wasn't very far from the Shredder's New York headquarters. Excellent. Time to begin.

She signaled her Footbots to get into position, having very meticulously prepared their orders in advance and leapt silently from fire escape to fire escape until she'd dropped down into a park very near the mugging. One more silent hand signal and the Footbots attacked.

* * *

Raph smirked down at the mugger's inert form, careful to remain unseen in the shadows as Casey attempted to help the terrified victim to his feet. It wasn't going well as the poor guy was scuttling back from him in terror. Maybe it was the mask, or the face paint or the array of blood covered, splintered sporting equipment he wore on his back.

Raph found Casey's frustration kind of vindicating. At least he wasn't the only one who terrified the people they helped and it wouldn't hurt Casey to get a taste of what his life was like. Tossing his hands up, Casey stomped away, letting the frightened mouse of a man scurry out of the alley.

"Did you see that guy? Talk about ungrateful." Raph snorted.

"Yeah, you totally freaked him out. Can't imagine what that's like." Casey just scowled at him. Then the night air filled with terrified and hurt female sounding shrieks. From just over the cement wall that divided the alley from the park beyond.

They'd been working together so long now that neither needed to speak before breaking into action. Casey backed up as Raph moved to the wall and cupped his hands. With a running start, Casey jumped into his hands as he launched his ally up to the top of the ledge, knowing that he'd be able to find his own way down.

With that taken care of Raph jumped, leaping back and forth between the side of the building and the concrete wall where they connected at a corner until he'd worked his way to the top.

Casey had opted to jump and catch the edge of a fire escape before dropping back to the ground. Raph just jumped and absorbed his momentum into a forward somersault as his feet struck the pavement.

Before him a white fox girl, with a splash of bluish purple fur across her face like mask, fought a small horde of Footbots. She wore a ragged hoodie with the sleeves and bottom waistband torn off. Strips of cloth were wrapped around her hands, forearms and feet. She was unarmed, but slashed the Footbots back away from her with natural claws. He had to admire her ferocity, although she was fighting a losing battle.

"Goongala!" Casey charged into fray scattering Footbots with his hockey stick.

"You and Mikey with your weirdo battle cries." His commentary didn't stop him from impaling Footbot heads on each sai as he followed suit. The fox girl grunted as Footbot landed a kick into her chest, sending her flying into a wall. She hit hard and collapsed to the ground.

Clearly dazed, she struggled to regain her feet. Too slow. A Footbot came at her with a kama and she barely got her hands up in time to protect her torso. The blades sliced into her flesh, spraying her blood across her attacker. Two more pinned as she struggled, but the blood loss was taking its toll and her energy began to wane.

Raph got to her just as they were starting to tie her up, landing on the kama wielding robot, separating its head from its body as he did so. Continuing the motion, he pushed up off the back of the downed robot into a handstand flip that smashed each foot into the chests of the two bots pinning the fox girl down, yanking free his sais as he did so.

They staggered back as he completed the flip, bringing his torso up and arms down, burying his sais into their heads with his full weight, landing the three of them in a heap just beyond the fox girl's prone form. Casey skated up having dispatched the remaining bots.

"That was easier than I ever remember it being. Hmm. She doesn't look so good." Putting his sais away Raph looked down at her. She sure was losing a lot of blood.

"One of the bots got her with a kama. I think she might need to be stitched up."

"Well you can't take her to a hospital." Casey was right. Mutants had limited options. He unfurled his hand wraps and did his best to bind her arms. Semi-conscious, she groaned as he did so.

"Not going back." Her voice was a faint murmur, but he made out the words. Casey loomed over him.

"Think she escaped from where the Shredder was keeping Master Splinter and Lisa?"

"Maybe."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll take her to Don. He'll fix her up and maybe she'll know something."

"Like how much it sucks to be experimented on? That's all Lisa knew." Raph growled and Casey backed off.

"I'm still helping her. Get that manhole cover open."

* * *

Lisa exited the dojo, sore but happy. She was finally getting the hang of her new body and realized that with it she was so much more physically capable than she'd ever been with her old body. Too bad she was still terrifyingly ugly.

Much as she wanted to collapse on the couch, she knew that she should keep moving around for a bit or her muscles would seize up on her. Training with Master Splinter was so much harder than she'd thought it would be. And so much more rewarding.

It was physically and mentally exhausting and more often than not she'd push herself to her limit only to find that it wasn't true limit and she could push past it. She could feel herself growing stronger and that old confidence she'd once known was blooming inside her like spring after a long hard winter. She would never be helpless again. She'd train until she collapsed to keep that vow.

She was halfway to the kitchen in the hopes of grabbing a glass of water when Raph burst through the turnstiles with Casey skating hard on his heels.

"Don! Need some help here!" Time seemed to slow as she watched him run past her to the lab. He was clutching a beautiful mutant fox girl to his chest.

Not really wanting to watch, but unable to stop herself, she drifted after them towards the lab and peered inside. Donnie was gathering his medical supplies while Raph laid the girl on the table. Leo looked on disapprovingly.

"Master Splinter's not going to…"

"What you think I should have left her to bleed out?"

"No, but Donnie could have patched her up where you…"

"So that she could recuperate huddled in an alley hiding in the garbage?"

"Well, no."

"Leo, you brought Lily and Karai home. When Karai was leading the Foot here! So I really don't want to hear it." Leo blushed bright red and clamped his mouth shut. Donnie was already wordlessly suturing the girl's arms as Raph watched in concern.

Lisa felt her heart seize and staggered off to her room to hide. If he looked at her right now, she thought she might shatter. It was ok. He'd hated her anyway. This was inevitable. But her self-assurances did nothing to stop the tears once she was safely out of view.


	109. Chapter 107: To Trust VI

**To Trust VI:**

Ninjara sat on a rooftop, alone, thinking. Wondering how much longer she could keep doing this. The lives she knew to be at stake were at war with another loyalty. One that kept seeking her out with pale green eyes.

She was no closer to her true targets than before, although she'd seen them a few times, watching from a distance. She was good, but not good enough to take on all four of them at once, even using an ambush.

And the more time passed, the more she didn't want to. They stalked the nights of this city, putting themselves at risk to save people that would never know them and wouldn't thank them if they did. Heroes that the world needed, but rarely ever had.

Like him. The other turtle. The different one. She shouldn't, couldn't take that from the world. No matter the cost. But the cost would be so high she didn't think that she could survive it. She didn't want to survive it.

She'd seen him off and on. Not one of the ones that she was supposed to capture, he, sometimes alone and sometimes with his comrades, was the one to show up at the traps she set. And without specific orders against him, she'd never made a real move to harm or capture him. She'd wondered why her masters had allowed her to continue that way.

Now she knew. They had allowed her to lull him into a false sense of security. The last ambush had not been hers, but Tiger Claw's. And he had not held back.

She remembered that night. The Shredder had her summoned to the lab's observation room, where she'd been forced to watch Stockman force a horrific, wormlike parasite into his head. His and his primate friend's.

Standing there, being forced to watch, helpless to stop it, to protect him from that violation, had been a nightmare. One she'd failed to understand in time. Believing herself brave, she'd waited until the lab cleared out.

She should have known. While few of the Shredder's servants willing spent time there, Stockman and Filtch rarely left. It was so obvious now, but then, she'd only been thanking her good fortune.

Like a shadow, she'd slipped into the lab and he'd looked up at her with a flicker of hope in those tired, pained eyes. She'd slashed their bonds. He'd reached out to her as he collapsed to the floor, but she'd already taken too big a risk, or so she thought. She'd pulled away, saying only one word.

"Run." Then she'd been gone, briefly believing that she'd saved them. But she hadn't. Her actions had been anticipated, orchestrated even, by her captors. They'd made her watch, knowing what she would do, wanting their captives to escape and betray their allies, their friends. She'd been complicit in that plan.

To her relief, it had failed, but ultimately she had been the one to make the trap possible. In the weeks since, she hadn't been able to bring herself to set another trap. Everything she did was poison and the weight of it was becoming too heavy to bear. There was a presence behind her. She could feel it. Maybe there was a way out. Maybe there was atonement.

* * *

Slash approached cautiously. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He'd been so certain that she was good. Noble. Despite the ones that she worked for. She seemed so sincere. He could still feel the intensity of her gaze when she'd set him free. But it had just been another trap. Hadn't it?

He didn't know what was real anymore. He'd been waiting for another encounter. To see her again. To try and understand, but she'd vanished, no longer hunting. No longer playing whatever game it was that brought them together time and again.

Ultimately, he'd stopped waiting and began seeking her out on his own. It was foolish. Especially after what the last trap had cost him. He could still remember being trapped inside his own body, screaming as it moved on its own. Someone else's puppet.

The feel of Splinter's bones crunching under the weight of his mace. Raph's pain and disbelief. He hadn't been able to do a thing as he captured his best friend. His brother. Delivered him to the enemy and held him down as they put that worm in it, knowing all too well what it would do to him.

It haunted his memories and turned his dreams into nightmares. Had she really been a part of doing that to him? And if so, why was he risking it again by seeking her out alone? Fool.

Now that he'd finally found her, he was at a loss for what to do. She sat on the edge of the building, shoulders slumped. Defeated. Or was it just another trick? She knew he was there. He could tell.

She took a deep breath and rose to her feet, turning to face him with those piercing golden eyes. Like honey. Not sure why he was even here, he waited. Maybe she would say something. Explain herself.

Slowly, she drew the longer of her two swords, looking more determined than he had ever seen her before. So this was it. The truth. She was one of them. He could feel himself hefting his mace, almost with a will of its own. He should strike her down. End this before more people that he loved were hurt or killed.

She charged him with that fluid graceful speed that seemed to characterize her and his grip tightened on his weapon, waiting for his chance to strike. He didn't think that he could avoid taking a blow from her if she were serious. She was too skilled.

But he was durable. Better to just take the hit that she would have landed anyway and use the opportunity to land one of his own. All he needed was one and he was strong. Maybe she wouldn't be able to kill him with one blow, no matter how strategically placed.

Except he couldn't. Despite everything, he just couldn't. He lowered the mace to his side as she lunged towards him with her blade, awaiting the pain, assuming he lived that long. But it never came. Just a rush of air past his cheek. Nothing had happened.

Unsure, he opened his eyes. She was before him, trembling, with her blade hovering just next to his head. A miss that could not be a mistake. Her flank left completely open, intentionally. The determination replaced with hurt and confusion.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Numb with shock, he reached out and embraced. For once she allowed it, breaking down and sobbing into his chest.


	110. Chapter 108: Redemption VI

**Redemption VI:**

Arnold checked the phone messages again after he finished helping Maria with her homework, just as he had when he'd gotten home from work and before he'd left for work in the morning.

The police still hadn't called. Whenever he called them, some clerical staff blew him off, merely saying that there was no new information available. As though the child Miri had entrusted to his care wasn't missing. He felt a headache coming on and rubbed his temples. The police were too busy and Angel wasn't a priority. Just another runaway teen.

If she was going to be found, he had to do it himself. And he would. He owed Miri that. If it hadn't been for her he would have died in that life. Miserable, alone and drunk. So where was Angel likely to go?

He thought about what Miri had told him about her wayward daughter. She was a fighter, fiery and temperamental. Her mother was murdered and she knew who had done it, thanks to him. The Vipers. A rival gang making a hit on the Purple Dragons. She knew that too. What would she do with that information?

She was enough like him at that age that he knew. She would be out for blood, avenging Miri's death. Angry and spoiling for a fight, she would plunge herself into the violent world of New York's gangs.

He knew what he had to do, but his stomach roiled at the thought. He would need to return to that world to bring her back. The prospect of facing his past was terrifying and bitter. He'd worked so hard to put it behind him. But Miri had too. For her, he would go back and save Angel.

He still had some contacts. There would still be some people who remembered who he used to be. And that man was somewhere within him still. Buried deep, but there. He would need to become that man again, if just for a little while, and while he did, it would be best if he avoided his own family. He didn't want them to know that side of him.

Knowing that he would need some weapons and some more intimidating clothing, he headed towards his room where he kept a few relics of that life hidden away at the back of his closet.

He almost collided with Casey on the way. He blinked in surprise as he took in the fresh sets of bruises on his boy's face and arms. What was his son involved in? And why was he dressed? It was late and he had practice in the morning.

"Casey…"

"Uh hey dad. I'm too awake to sleep, but I've got a game coming up soon and could really use some z's. I thought that I'd bike around the neighborhood a few times to tire myself out." Was that so?

"I didn't mean to disturb you. In know that you have to work early." No, he'd taken a leave of absence. But he nodded anyway.

"Don't let me keep you up. I'll be back in a few." Casey's lies stung. They used to be able to tell each other anything, but this past year had put walls between them that he didn't know how to break down.

He wanted to grab his son and demand answers. But that would be hypocritical of him as he'd just lied about going to bed, unable to tell his son where he would be going and what he needed to do.

Feeling the weight of the secrets between them, he stepped aside to allow Casey past him. He doubted that his son would be back as soon as he promised, but he would still have to be quiet and careful not to run into him when he left for the night. Somehow, when all this was over, he'd find a way to bring them back together. To how it was before the secrets and lies.


	111. Chapter 109: Fallen V

**Fallen V:**

Angel stuffed her few meager belongings into her backpack. After fleeing the police station, she'd made a beeline for home, threw a few belongings together and barely made it out again before some officers came a calling at the first and most obvious place to find her and haul her back to child services.

Since then, she'd been bouncing from shelter to shelter, lying about her age so that the authorities wouldn't be called. Mostly, she didn't think that anyone believed her to be eighteen although she was only one year shy of it.

But they knew she'd bolt if she even suspected they were going to turn her in and so far had consistently chosen giving her food and shelter over driving her off into the night. To be safe though, she never stayed in any consistent location and had spent a few nights on the streets.

The hardest part hadn't been managing food or shelter. It was staying clean. That was a surprise. She'd never been a fan of being filthy, but she could endure it to avenge her mom. Besides, she was getting the hang of washing up in public restrooms.

Her time on the streets hadn't been fruitless. She'd been asking around. The Purple Dragons were the Vipers's biggest enemy. In fact, they were everyone's biggest enemy. Their gang was almost closer to formal organized crime as far as she could tell, although the lower echelons were still mindless street thugs.

They were the ones with the power to crush the Vipers. And they were recruiting. Her escrima sticks stuck out of the top of her pack as she pulled it back over her shoulders. It was time to show them her worth.

* * *

She showed up at the recruitment site, noting that she was the only girl in a horde of leering teenage boys and young men. It didn't matter. They wouldn't get in her way.

They all waited in an agitated mob in the junkyard, radiating violent energy. She didn't mind. She fit right in. A hush came over the group and the ones with some sense, stilled like prey that had spotted a predator. She heard a few whispering.

"It's him. That's Hun."

"Shit are you serious? Isn't he in charge? What's he doing here?" They quietly babbled, but she droned them out, craning her neck to catch a sight of this leader.

He was Asian with short black hair, ridiculously large sunglasses and clothing too nice and businesslike to fit in with the junkyard gang setting. The only things that revealed him were the dragon tattoos on his arms.

He whipped off his sunglasses to examine them. It took a physical effort not to laugh. He reminded her so strongly of Bruce Lee that she couldn't help but wonder if there'd been some illicit continuation of his bloodline that somehow had ended with Hun.

Well if the leader was here it was just a better chance to make a good impression. They must be really serious about recruiting if he didn't have better things to do.

"You will fight who and when I tell you to. I will decide if you are worth anything." That stilled the ones stupid enough to have remained restless. She waited her turn and watched as he would point to people and they'd attack each other in the center of the human ring that had formed.

Very few had any actual skill, relying on their grit and instinct, although Hun did select a few. They were solid and had shown themselves able to take a hell of a beating and keep standing. Reliable cannon fodder.

Then there were a few with some actual skill. He kept them all, but still continued pitting them against each other to test and evaluate their skill. No guns were allowed, but otherwise anything else went. Most used chains, bats or brass knuckles. This wasn't about fairness. It was about results.

Suddenly his eyes landed on her and lit up with a mixture of disdain and curiosity. He pointed to her and she stepped forward, dropping her pack to the ground as she pulled out her escrima sticks.

He then pointed to one of the other men who had already proven himself. One who used a bat. Comparing similar weapon styles? The guy shrugged, obviously having no scruples about hitting a girl. Good. Then there was no way he could play at holding back later.

He took a swing at her, but telegraphed it from the start. Seeing the bat's trajectory, she easily crouched below it and launched herself forward at him, ramming one stick end into his solar plexus and the other to the side of his knee taking him down and out of the fight.

She placed the end of one of her sticks on his throat, knowing it would be a simple thing to crush his windpipe while he lay unconscious. She looked up at Hun to make sure he knew that she could kill this man if she so choose.

He smiled and gestured to some of the cannon fodder to remove him and then pointed to two others. One had a chain and the other brass knuckles. Two on one? She must have impressed.

From opposite ends of the circle, they charged in at her. Chain was faster and whipped the metal links at her head. She blocked with one of her sticks, allowing the chain to wrap around it.

Then, as knuckles arrived, she ducked his punch and twisted her body, yanking chain off balance and forward, face first into knuckles's punch. Before chain could even stagger back, she slid her stick free of his weapon, took a spinning step around knuckles and crashed both sticks into the back of his knees, bringing him down to all fours with a cry of pain.

Wasting no time, she brought both sticks down on the back of his head, knocking him out. Chain was just staggering to his feet, but before he could fully reorient himself, she was already on him, ramming one stick into his crotch and then slamming the other into his already wounded face as he buckled forward in agony.

He lay on the ground whimpering, curled up in fetal position. She prepared a strike to the back of his skull, where his spinal cord connected and looked to Hun to make sure he knew that she could end it. He smiled wider now.

"Well, well little girl. Welcome to the Purple Dragons."


	112. Chapter 110: Vendetta V

**Vendetta V:**

Amaya sat upon her hotel bed, looking up at her wall of information. Her momentary disappointment at the untimely end of the Kraang invasion had dissipated as she'd let that hollow hope go and buried herself in her work. Saki, as usual, had quickly become an annoying distraction of lust and argument. So she'd gathered up all the intel he had on their mutual enemies and relocated.

The Kraang would have been too hesitant to help anyway. They could not have been depended on to save Karai. No. There was a better lead. The purple turtle.

All the evidence, she received and had gathered on her own suggested that he was brilliant. A genius who had produced retro-mutagen before. So he could do it again, with the correct encouragement. He needed to be captured alive. Preferably with as many of his brothers as possible.

But the plan would definitely work if she could get him and the orange one. Capturing those two alive would be much less dangerous than doing so with the red or blue brothers. They were also much less likely to scream if hurt than the orange one would be.

The orange turtle's suffering was the key to the purple genius's cooperation. As long as she could get those two, she would have her niece back. But it would still be nice to have the others to kill in front of him as proof that she meant business.

With a clear goal in mind, she could begin the process of achieving it. Although the exact location of their hideout was still a mystery, they definitely lived in the New York sewers. Her best chance of locating them was through their human friends, Casey Jones and April O'Neil.

They could be captured and used as hostages to bait a trap, but she didn't want to play that card yet. Not until she'd exhausted all other possible uses for the two humans. After some consideration, she'd decided to focus on Jones.

The cumulative information in April's file suggested a very keen and intuitive mind. The boy was a brute. Powerful and clever but much less aware. Planting a hidden trace on him in a fight would be too easy.

Since she doubted he spent much recreational time in the sewers outside of the turtle lair, given his rat phobia, geo-tracking him should quickly give her the location. Once she had it, she could form a plan at her leisure.

Capturing alive was always more delicate than killing with abandon. It required careful tactics and planning. Blue prints of New York's infrastructure would give her an idea of the layout, once she knew where they were. Then she would just need the perfect trap. But first things first. She needed to get that trace on the vigilante boy.


	113. Chapter 111: Lost VII

**Lost VII:**

Lisa tapped her tail in irritation as she pretended to watch an episode of Crognard the Barbarian with Lily and Mikey. Lily was smiling as she divided her attention between listening to the show and listening to Mikey and Lisa felt a surge of jealousy. Whether it was directed at Mikey for stealing so much of her cousin's time and affection or at both of them for making their friendship work, she didn't know.

For the hundredth time, her eyes drifted back towards the dojo where he stood with his genius brother, Donnie, and foreign sister, Venus, watching Leo train with Master Splinter. At least he wasn't in the lab, checking on Alopex.

She should be able to make it work. She was smart. Very smart. How did Lily and Mikey make it look so easy? Risking a glance back at them, she started.

Mikey had put on a rubber zombie mask as a prop to act out some story that he was either retelling, making up or both. He always did things like that even though Lily couldn't see it, never really behaving as though Lily were blind. Lisa didn't understand that.

Realizing that he was still missing something, he shot to his feet and trotted over to his brothers. She vaguely overheard him mention something about a lizard in a top hat, but it required too much concentration not to look over that way. At him.

She'd thought that she'd been avoiding him before, but since he'd brought Alopex back, she'd brought it to a whole new level. If she could convince herself that he wasn't really there, a ghost or a figment of her imagination, maybe this wouldn't hurt so much. Focus on the cartoon.

Motion in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Alopex stepped out of the lab, checked that the guys were distracted and drifted silently through the lair towards the turnstiles. Where was she going? Hoping desperately that this was true concern and not mere jealously, she stood to follow.

* * *

Alopex ran through the tunnels, testing her convalescent body. Her injuries were quite real. They'd needed to be. Still she hated having to recuperate. But didn't dare rush things. For this to work, she'd need to be in peak condition. She had to heal.

When she was fully recovered, she would reveal the location of the turtle lair to the Shredder and set a distraction for his ambush. In the chaos of battle, when he inevitably went for the rat, distracted by his thirst for vengeance, she would strike and end him. It might cost some or all of the turtles their lives, but she was prepared for that sacrifice.

She needed to be fully recovered for it to work. So the Shredder would have to remain in ignorance of this location. She was getting close. Just had to be patient a little bit longer. For now, running and movement were what she needed.

Donatello was so insistent that she not push her healing body too hard that she felt as though she had to comply within his presence. She couldn't appear ungrateful or untrustworthy. But she needed to move and that moment of distraction was too perfect to squander.

Plus, she needed to get a sense of the lair's location and start working on a mental map of the surrounding tunnels. She didn't plan on turning it over to the Shredder unless absolutely necessary, but she might need the information for her own purposes.

Hmm. She wasn't alone. The lizard girl was following her. She'd seemed so intent on the television before. Apparently Alopex had misjudged. So at least one of them was suspicious of her.

She needed to take care of that before it complicated things. Somehow befriend this girl and win her trust before her suspicion undid all her work. She could. She was good at deception.

A brief haunting memory of Umeko flooded her with guilt. Maybe too good. She wouldn't completely betray them unless she absolutely had to, she promised herself, hoping she could keep it. No time for regrets. She'd come too far to back down now.

Carefully, she tripped herself on the subway tracks, landing hard on her injured arms. Her canine whimper was very real. She lay for a moment, allowing the pain to recede before hauling herself upright.

"Pathetic." Her voice was a low growl as she kicked the tracks in feigned frustration. Lisa, the lizard girl, stepped out of hiding and approached uncertainly. Alopex acted surprised and ashamed to see her.

"What do you want?" Lisa shrugged.

"Just wanted to know where you were going." Hmm. This girl had been a prisoner of the Shredder's lab. It was the same as the backstory she'd created for herself. Maybe she could work with that.

"Out for a run. I know I'm still…broken, but I've been locked up so long. I just needed to get out. I know that everyone means well, but I had to go somewhere, anywhere as long as I chose it, just to prove that I could. Agh. This sounds stupid out loud." It worked. Lisa's eyes lost that suspicious glint and softened in understanding.

"No, I get it. I did something similar a while back. But it's not safe to go alone. You're putting yourself and the others in danger." Alopex nodded sullenly.

"I understand. I'll go back." Lisa shifted.

"I didn't say that. Just that you shouldn't go alone." Hmm. This was going better than expected. Apparently someone had done this for her when she'd had to get out.

"Would you stay with me? Not to go far or anything. Just to walk around, near the lair." She'd laced the pitiable request with enough vulnerability to have the desired effect. Lisa smiled sadly at her and nodded.

"Of course." She could still get a lay out of the tunnels this way, while allaying the lizard girl's doubts. With their 'shared history' it should be easy to build a bond.

"He'd be worried if you were gone and upset if you got hurt you know." Alopex's thoughts momentarily derailed as Lisa forced the comment out. What was she talking about? The medic turtle Donatello. He did take his responsibility to his patients seriously, but it didn't seem to warrant Lisa's level of concern.

"I know Donatello only wants me to be healthy again. I don't mean to be ungrateful for his aid or to flaunt his instructions."

"No. I mean Raph." Raph? He'd checked in on her as all the family did, maybe a little more so since he'd saved her and felt responsible, but it wasn't a noticeable difference. Why would Lisa be…?

Taking in the girl's miserable expression and hunched posture, she had a revelation. So the lizard girl had a fondness for Raphael. It was jealousy, not suspicion. This was going to be easier than she thought.

"Raphael? I don't think he would mind so much. At least not more than anyone else."

"No, he would. He's gotten really attached to you." Alopex smiled internally, but kept her expression blank and confused.

"No, it's not like that between us." Lisa looked torn between elation that Alopex wasn't a willing rival and empathy for Raphael's heartbreak.

"He mostly comes to ask about the mutation program. He's very determined to shut it down. So he asks about it as much as Donatello will let him." She paused and took on a shy posture to suggest that her affections might lie instead with Raphael's brother, creating a shared experience of unrequited love.

"But I don't think that he's doing it for me. I'm not certain, but there's another reason. Another person maybe." Lisa stopped and her green scales flushed a pale pink.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. Do you want to talk about him?" Mortified, she looked like she might decline Alopex's offer, but sighed, obviously needing to tell someone. And since Alopex had guessed.

"I…he's a really good guy, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me."

"Oh? Why do you think that?"

"It seems like he can't stand to be around me."

"Yes, I did notice the intensity with which you too have been avoiding each other. I've never seen anyone work harder at casual disinterest than you two." She waited for Lisa to draw the rather obvious connection between her and Raphael's similar behavior and compare the causes. Lisa's jaw fell open in an 'o' of surprise. Alopex smiled conspiratorially at her new friend. Yes, this would be very, very easy.

* * *

Venus sat on the futon in her room, cross referencing diagrams that she'd made of the last several attempts at divination with Master Splinter's aid, overlaid with maps of the city. She was getting closer. She knew it. Slowly they were zeroing in. Each broad result, combined with all the others narrowed her target down in the space they all shared in common. Soon, she'd have a location. She just needed to be patient.

She'd considered bringing April and Lily in on the project, but their gifts were so uncontrolled that while they might help, the results could just as likely be unpredictable and counterproductive. Better to be slow and sure.

Although her task would be easier if there weren't so much commotion out there. She'd barely had any time to work at all as she'd wanted to see Master Splinter spar with Leonardo. He was still badly injured, but healing up surprisingly well.

It had cost her some time that she'd hoped to make up, but her new family was very distracting at times. Not for the first time, she longed for the peace of the monastery in which she'd grown up. But other times, she found the family commotion both exhilarating and comforting.

Someone yanked her door open hard enough to nearly topple the makeshift wall. She snapped her head up, prepared to yell, when she saw that it was Leonardo and her words caught in her throat.

"Sensei needs you in the dojo immediately." Then he was gone and she was left with a racing heart. Focus. There was clearly an emergency.

Pushing her work aside, she stepped out of her room, just in time to catch Donatello following Leonardo out the water exit of the lair. Her usually prickly reaction to the site of him faded as she took in his slumped shoulders and grief stricken expression. What was wrong?

She dashed up the steps into the dojo to see April hooked up to a monitor and laid out on the floor, unconscious and fighting for each shallow rapid breath. Her father clung to the heart monitor as though it had some mystical power to tether his dying child to life. Across from him knelt Master Splinter, consulting a very old scroll.

"What's happened?"

"Serpent bite. The venom is killing her. I know a technique to cleanse her, but…"

"You need more power." She finished and he nodded.

"There's too much in her and it's moving too fast. I don't have time to gather enough of my own energy. Supply me the ki and I will mold and direct it." She knelt beside him and closed her eyes to focus. She would not let April die.

* * *

Lily sat in the infirmary where they'd left her. She'd been holding April's hand as Don worked, becoming increasingly desperate as each solution failed and April slipped further and further away.

When Master Splinter had carried her to the dojo, she'd debated whether or not she'd be in the way if she followed. It wasn't as though her presence was doing April any good. Still, her instincts told her that April was aware of her and comforted.

But if Master Splinter was going to save her with a mantra, would her powers interfere? Venus had described them as a force of nature and she was afraid to risk it. April's life was too precious.

So she was left to her own thoughts which oscillated back and forth between April's fading life and the gut wrenching terror of knowing that a Shredder-controlled-Karai held Mikey captive.

He'd be ok. He had to be. Leo was going to save him. Leo was a hero and could save anyone. She believed in him. He wouldn't let anyone, not even Karai hurt Mikey. Please Leo. The world tilted and she was caught in another vision, one of the present. One of Leo.

 _They were fighting Karai. She was exotically beautifully with her green serpentine eyes, shimmering scales that mimicked human skin, and delicate fangs. They needed to win this but they didn't want to hurt her._

 _Behind her, she could see the others dangling from ceiling crossbeams that had been hoisted to on chains. Casey. Raph. Don. Mikey. It was the very first time she'd really seen him. He was so beautiful. Tragic and unwell, but beautiful. She drank in the sight, trying to memorize so deeply that she'd never forget. Feeling Leo's acute discomfort with her emotions, she returned her attention to the battle where he was still trying to reason with Karai._

 _Fight dammit! Her command echoed through both of them and spurred him to more aggressive action, but it was too late. Karai's hands had become elastic snakes that had reached out and dug their fangs into Leo's arms, filling him with an enormous dose of her venom._

 _Leo's life was fading. He was dying and fast. But as they hovered on the cusp of life and death, she felt his will to fight, to win, to save everyone stronger than ever._

 _He chanted a healing mantra heedless of Karai's overconfident and casual approach. Instinctively he grasped how to turn healing into purification to purge the poison from him, but there was so much. Too much._

 _Venus! Lily's mind screamed and she reached out to her friend and mentor. Still apart of Leo, she connected to Venus. Venus had just emptied her energy into Master Splinter so that might use it to save April._

 _Venus! As they linked up, Venus could sense Leo's predicament and flooded her power in his direction, using Lily as the conduit. With the fresh influx of chi, Leo had what he needed to purge himself Karai's venom. Venus poured everything into him. All she could summon from the world around her and even a portion of her own life force._

 _As Venus fainted, Lily felt the connection break, leaving her alone with Leo. His chanting shaped the energy he'd been given into a tool that cleansed and restored him. But Karai was almost on them._

 _Fight! She willed him to attack, overwhelming his concern for the snake girl and he held nothing back. He struck her in the chest with a blow so forceful from the overflow of Venus's chi that Karai went soaring backwards, slamming into a concrete pillar hard enough to crack it._

 _Leo panicked, but Lily could see Karai breathing. Stunned and injured but breathing. She'll live. Save the others. Leo turned to his brothers and Casey and felt his heart lurch. The poison was slow, but they were still fading._ Lily drifted out of the vision as he rushed to get them down. He'd save them. He just had to.

* * *

Karai felt relief amidst the pain of her cracking ribs and skull as she struck the concrete column. He was alive.

This had been a nightmare from the very beginning. She had worked so hard in her prison to gain control of her new mutant body. To learn its skills and master its potential. She'd intended to fight tooth and nail when they were to come for her.

But instead they'd gassed her chamber and she'd awoken, restrained to an examination table while Stockman prepared her parasite. All that effort for nothing. The weapon she'd honed herself into was to be used not against her enemies but instead on her family.

The worst part was, while powerless, she was completely aware. This was hell. At the Shredder's command, she turned on all the people she loved, starting with April. The girl who had saved her mind and spirit. She'd screamed inside as her traitor body created serpents to infiltrate April's bedroom, that she'd found by tracking the girl's scent from the movie theater that she frequented. At least she'd gone after April alone and hadn't felt compelled to give up the location.

Then she'd targeted the turtle's other human friend Casey. She'd never met him before, but you could tell a lot from a fight. He was someone she thought she could respect, even like. But she'd poisoned him with her venom anyway.

She hated the Shredder so much as his commands forced her body to waste her first kiss on killing an innocent boy. It was a selfish regret, but just as real as all the rest. It was equally bitter being forced to call the Shredder father again.

One by one, she gathered them with her poisoned traps, hoisting their inert bodies up as trophies. She couldn't stop. Her formidable will meant nothing. Only the Shredder's command.

He wanted the turtles alive. Especially the scrawny, smart one. And so she'd dosed her venom low, making their deaths slow and agonizing. They'd keep until she had killed Splinter and could be given the anti-venom Stockman had made once she got them back to the lab. To await their own turn in this hell.

She'd been prepared to call her father, once she'd had them all theatrically raised up in a style that would please the Shredder's sensibilities. She had the number to his cheese phone. He would come, but he wouldn't be able to harm her and she would kill him before taking his sons to become his arch enemy's slaves. It was enough to make her scream. Except her body wouldn't cooperate. She couldn't even vent her rage and frustration.

At least the Shredder didn't know that she knew the location of their lair. She'd have to tell him if he made her, but he'd never thought to ask. Instead, he'd merely given orders that she had to follow.

The obedient part of her mind that controlled her body had deemed attacking an enemy stronghold directly too risky and had chosen to select her own battle ground. One she could control, where she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. And so the lair remained a secret from the Shredder's Footbots. There was some comfort in that. Too bad her trap had been so effective.

But somehow Leo had defeated the venom and fought back. It was a glorious moment even though her traitor body turned on him, spouting hateful words. Cruel lies about him and his family. Lies she had been raised on and finally freed herself from, only to have the Shredder force those words back into her mouth. How she hated him.

Her joy at Leo's triumph had faded to terror as he resisted fighting her, trying as always to reason with her. His words struck true, but she could not act on them, because she wasn't the one who needed convincing.

She'd been filled with any icy dread as she realized that she was going to kill him. Her Leo. Dead by her own hands. At the realization, she'd been consumed by such sorrow that she longed to retreat back into herself and let the snake have her mind. It could keep it. She didn't want it. Not if she had to witness this.

Her hands bit deeply into him, pumping him full of a highly lethal dose of venom, more than enough to kill and kill fast. She'd curled up within herself sobbing as her body stalked his dying form like a predator.

But then he'd glowed with such light and energy and struck her away from him. Somehow he'd saved himself again. The most amazing hero she'd ever known. She allowed herself a moment to imagine how red he'd turn if she ever told him that. It was a pleasing image to slump to the ground to.

If only he would kill her and keep everyone safe from her. But she knew that he would never do that, no matter the circumstances. He couldn't ever bring himself to kill her. She was sure of it. Even if the Shredder put one of these parasites in him and ordered him to slay her, she was sure he'd find a way out of it. Heroes were meant to triumph after all.

As he tended to the withering bodies of his friends and family, her broken form slinked away, following a secondary order of self-preservation. As she disappeared during his distraction, she took some comfort in his victory and in her faith that he would save all the people she had hurt. That's what heroes did after all.

* * *

Lily came out of her vision, startled to realize that she was still in Don's lab. But the scents were impossible to deny. Mutagenic chemicals. Engine oil. And of course the algae tank.

Venus! She jumped to her feet, grabbed her cane and navigated her way to the dojo. She could hear Mr. O'Neil murmuring nonsense words of comfort and relief, usually reserved for very young children. April must be safe. That was a relief.

Hmm. Where would Venus be? She could feel Master Splinter's unnaturally long fingers curve around her shoulders, guide her through the dojo and bring her to kneel in place. He then placed Venus's hand in hers and moved away. Clasping both her hands around Venus's, she settled in to wait, hoping her friend could sense her support.

* * *

Venus slowly returned to awareness. As her eyes fluttered opened, she was momentarily distracted by two versions of reality. There was the physical world, but on top of that were the auras and flows of energy that made up the metaphysical world. She'd never blurred the two together before. Helping both Master Splinter and Leonardo must have pushed her beyond her limit. This would take some time to recover from.

Someone was holding her hand, gradually and unconsciously feeding her chi. She followed the delicate human hand and arm up to Lily's face, brow furrowed in concentration. The girl didn't know what she was doing.

Venus knew that she should make her let go before she spent more than she could afford to give. She hadn't trained as Venus had been to endure metaphysical duress. As her eyes trailed around the rest of the room, she realized that she would have to wait on breaking contact with Lily.

Leonardo and Master Splinter, glowing blindingly bright with the chi she'd poured into them, knelt and chanted over Casey Jones and Leonardo's brothers, erasing that black tendrils of poison clinging to each of their life forces.

In her fear and concern, she might have overdone it when she'd filled them with chi. Even with this additional healing, they'd be burning with the excess for days. Lily's energy could interfere with the ritual, so for the moment it was best to keep it tied up within herself, at least until the healing was complete.

Instead she focused on the ghost, standing behind Master Splinter with an incorporeal hand on his shoulder. The ghost had never been so clear and distinct before, almost more real to her than the people who were physically present.

She was a delicate bare foot woman, wearing a long flowing skirt and loose tank top with flowers embroidered on it. Her long, silken hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and drifted about her head as though blown by some imaginary breeze. She smiled down at him with an expression of profound love. Just seeing it felt like an intrusion on something private and she averted her gaze.

The boys groaned, their minds and bodies clearly aching from the ordeal despite now being cleansed. With a sigh of relief, she pried her hand from Lily's to the girl's confusion.

"Venus?"

"I'll be ok now. You don't need to give anymore." Lily's brows rose in surprise, but she nodded. Sensing an approaching presence, she turned away from Lily and involuntarily froze. Leonardo knelt next to her and she had to force herself to breathe evenly.

It wasn't just the excess chi pouring off of him in pulsating waves. Uh oh. This was more than mere respect or admiration. She hadn't realized until Lily's call and she could feel him dying. She'd never known such panic. This was going to complicate things. He smiled and her heart stuttered.

"Venus. Lily. I know you were both there in the battle with me. Thank you." Her head nodded slowly and carefully while Lily chirped out a cheerful 'you're welcome.' She was a bit surprised and confused at how calmly her body was reacting, seemingly of its own volition. It was as though she were outside herself watching all this occur.

She wanted to believe that this was part of the energy hangover from overextending herself, but she wasn't sure. He rose to his feet and walked towards one of the dojo exits, glancing back at his family with an odd expression of sorrow before leaving.

Venus's heart ached. This was a great victory. They had won and saved everyone. What weighed on him? She struggled to sort out the source of his disquiet and failed to note another turtle's approach.

"Venus?" She jumped and was surprised to see Donatello beside her.

"Yes." He shifted nervously.

"I owe you an apology. Whatever its source, you're abilities are real and I shouldn't have belittled them or you. I…I wouldn't have been able to save her. If it were left to me, April would have…I…thank you."

For a moment, she was stupefied. Did he just apologize and admit that her superstitious ignorance might have been right? For a moment she couldn't process it. But the answer was obvious. She'd saved the young woman that he loved and love was more powerful than rationality and reason. She couldn't help but smile.

"She's an extraordinary girl whom I am honored to call my friend. I'm glad that I was able to help." He nodded jerkily.

"I don't know if I can believe, completely, but you saved her when I couldn't, so…I'll try."

"I appreciate that and don't lose faith in your science. It is a true power based on what I've seen. With the magic and science we collectively wield there's no obstacle that can't be overcome to protect our family."

* * *

Lisa took a deep breath as she reentered the lair with Alopex at her side, feeling better than she'd had since before her abduction. Talking to the fox girl had turned out to be the best thing she could have done.

More than the relief of knowing that her new friend was not a rival, she now had some hope that her feelings were not unrequited. All she had to do was tell him. It should be her responsibility as she was the one who'd derailed them with her initial reaction to him.

Besides, she'd never balked from anything before this, preferring to face her problems head on with an almost single minded intensity. That's who she had been and who she intended to be again. And telling Raph how she felt, regardless of how it worked out, was going to be the start of reclaiming herself.

But the lair was awash in commotion and she paused, not wanting to interrupt the moment that the turtle brothers were having with their father. What was going on? Casey groaned loudly as Mr. O'Neil helped him and April passed her out of the lair. She reached out and grabbed Casey's arm.

"What happened?" He looked like hell and was clearly not in the mood to be grilled.

"Oh, nothing much. Just Splinter's freaky snake daughter being mind-controlled by the Shredder and nearly poisoning us all to death. Good thing Leo's got that weird mystic ninja mojo going on or we'd all be goners."

"You and April?"

"And Raph, Donnie and Mikey. Tonight sucked." She let him go as she absorbed what he said. Raph almost died. She was wandering around the tunnels with Alopex and Raph almost died.

Suddenly her judgment didn't seem so reliable anymore and she felt her old doubts rise. Her determination petered out and she decided that she'd wait on telling him for now. He needed this time with his family right now. She'd tell him. Just later. Maybe.

* * *

Alopex sat on her cot in Donnie's lab, rage and shock warring within her. Within the shock, there was a certain amount of relief that Karai wasn't the Shredder's daughter. After what she did to Umeko, Karai was the only real friend she had left. She wouldn't have to lose that when she killed the Shredder.

However it added in some complications too. The rat man was her father. Thus the turtles were her brothers. Her bargaining chips to get to that monster were Karai's true family. A family that she had accepted. One that had repeatedly tried to save her.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to sacrifice them if she had to in order to get her revenge. If she did, she'd certainly lose Karai as she'd lost Umeko and somehow that thought was just as upsetting as the discovery of Kitsune and the Shredder's betrayal of her.

She'd get her revenge eventually, but for now, if the cost was Karai's family, she'd let the opportunity pass and wait for another. Maybe her revenge should wait anyway. Karai had been kidnapped, raised on lies, molded into a weapon, mutated into an insane snake monster and was now mind controlled by the very people she must hate most.

After learning all of this, she'd had to leave, find some isolation, before her rage consumed her and betrayed her charade. Even now the slightest thought of it caused her fury to spike.

Not only for the sake of all her plans and goals, but also for her own safety, she needed to get herself under control. She was already in this deep and couldn't blow her cover now, no matter how plans had changed. And they had indeed changed. She would still kill the Shredder if she could, but now the plan was to save Karai.


	114. Chapter 112: Vigilante Justice III

**Part III: The Future**

 **Vigilante Justice III:**

Casey watched the Purple Dragons scuttle off after another trouncing while he slipped his hockey stick back into its holster and Raph spun his sais before popping them back into his belt. Another robbery thwarted. It was unnerving how quickly Fong and his buddies managed to get back on the streets after what had to be hundreds of arrests. Too bad they weren't much of a challenge.

He looked around, hoping that Hun might pop out of the shadows from somewhere. He seriously owed that guy a beat down and needed a real fight to take the edge off. Nearly being poisoned to death by Raph's mind controlled sister had put him out of sorts.

It was bugging Raph as well, but he was still too distracted by a certain lizard girl that he adamantly refused to talk about to be overly bothered by it. The fact that Karai habitually tried to kill him and his brothers probably was a factor in him not being fazed by it. Talk about messed up families.

Speaking of, he thought back on a text from his sister earlier in the day, asking where dad was. His dad never disappeared on them. Granted he hadn't exactly been paying too much attention to his family lately, consumed as he was with his extracurricular activities, but he knew his dad. He would never, ever flake on Maria.

Something was going on and it had him twisted up, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Sneaking around after his dad seemed hypocritical considering how much he kept hidden. He trusted his dad and he'd have to rely on that, even if this change in his father's behavior was unsettling. Eh, his dad was acting that strange. Things were sure to be back to normal in no time.

Suddenly a dozen Footbots dropped into the alley all around them and Casey felt a pleasant spike of adrenaline. Now that's what he was talking about. To his great annoyance, they swarmed Raph, more or less ignoring him. He couldn't believe it. The freaking robots just snubbed him.

He was about to teach them a lesson in pain, assuming robots could feel pain, when someone thudded to the ground behind him, sounding more like a person than a machine. He turned around and his jaw dropped.

There stood a beautiful, albeit older, Asian woman, dressed as a ninja, holding the end of a long chain whip that she spun in a slow circle at her side. Well things just got interesting.

"Goongala!" He skated towards her, hockey stick at the ready, when her chain whip shot forward, shattering the wooden implement to pieces. He thought, and not for the first time, that maybe he should invest in some metal equipment, like an aluminum bat or some golf clubs.

Tossing aside the broken stick, he'd started to draw his bat, unfortunately also wooden, when chain came it him again, roping around his torso and easily yanking him forward on his skates. He swung at the dominatrix ninja from hell with his bat, but she ducked it, kneeing him hard in the gut.

In an instant of blinding pain, he found himself completely unable to breathe. His bat clattered to the ground. Just before he passed out, he vaguely recalled Leo saying something about the solar plexus being a vital target. Probably should have paid more attention to that.

* * *

Raph was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of assailants, but of all his brothers he was the best suited to handle this type of assault. He was solid, strong and less reliant on speed or finesse though fully capable of both.

In short order, he mangled them all, though it cost him. He stood at the end panting heavily and bleeding from several wounds. Donnie was gonna pitch a fit about that. How had Casey fared?

He darted his gaze around until he saw his unconscious friend, being held up in the tangled end of a manriki while some kunoichi he'd never seen before drew a wakizashi from a sheath at her belt.

There was no time. He threw one of his sais at her, catching the blade as she brought it down on Casey and knocking it from her hand. As both weapons clattered to the ground, she turned to face him and he was hit with an overpowering sense of déjà vu. He'd seen her before. He knew it. Somehow he knew this woman.

She eyed him appraisingly and glanced at the remains of the Footbots at his feet. She shook Casey free of her manriki, scooped up her wakizashi and disappeared with a smoke bomb.

He ran over to Casey and cursed as he realized she'd managed to slash him across the chest before he'd disarmed her. It was deep enough to need stitches. Knowing Casey, he didn't want to have to answer any awkward questions a hospital might ask about how he'd come by such injuries. Raph draped him over his shoulder. Looks like Donnie would have his hands full tonight.

* * *

Amaya smiled as the red turtle carried the boy down the nearest manhole, taking the bait perfectly. She pulled out her receiver to observe the tracker she'd carefully placed on the boy beeping to life. Everything was going according to plan.


	115. Chapter 113: Obsession VI

**Obsession VI:**

A. J. shifted awkwardly in his seat, trying vainly to make himself comfortable as he waited. Dirk stood a few feet behind him like a silent sentinel in the empty conference room. He'd cleared out this wing of his offices to have some privacy for this meeting. Privacy not only for his guest, but also for himself.

Knowing that all her funding was riding on near immediate results, Dr. Zhao had come through for him, customizing her latest prototypes to his specifications and sending them to him within days. It wasn't perfect, but it was workable, so he would increase her funding until she perfected it for him.

As it was, he was essentially wedged into a bodysuit of synthetic skin, overall generic and indistinct. But considerable effort had been put into the face and hair to make him look as natural as possible.

Even so, his head seemed oddly shaped and his face appeared vaguely obese as there was no real skeletal structure beyond a fake nose and jaw to give it some form. The glassy shells overlaying his eyes to make them look human again obscured his vision, but it was a small price to pay not to be an outright freak.

He never thought that he'd miss his appearance, always disdaining his resemblance to his father, but he would give anything to get it back now. And to some extent that's what this meeting was about. He shifted again to no avail. Without a spine, holding himself upright in the seat was difficult and uncomfortable.

He'd learned that, while he couldn't change the vile color or texture of his body, he did have some control over his shape. He could will any part of his malleable new body into any desired shape, but it took considerable concentration to hold it that way and use it.

Particularly hands. Maintaining the shape of hands while attempting the complex motor skills necessary to operate them was daunting, but he was nothing if not driven. He would master it.

At one point, just to see if he could, he'd reformed his entire body into its original human shape, even if he was still slimy and possessed none of his unique physical details. The shape was still his human body, even if he could only maintain it for a few minutes at a time.

He'd gain control of it or die trying. There was no way that he was accepting this vile new form. For the moment, most of his concentration was required to keep him firm enough not to slide off of his chair, like the disgusting blob that he was. The door opened and he started as a humanoid tiger, dressed as a mercenary strode in and scrutinized the room.

"All clear." He took up a position at the other side of the room, not unlike Dirk's, as the Shredder entered. He'd never get used the Foot clan leader's bizarre armor or his insistence on wearing it at all times. The Shredder seated himself across from him at the far end of the table. If Howard weren't a preferred client of the Foot, he would never have been able to arrange this.

"You requested a meeting." The Shredder's voice was deep and rumbling in a menacing sort of way. A. J. had heard it enough not to be deterred.

"Yes. I know this is unusual but I needed to speak to you immediately. In person."

"If this is about your missing niece, there has been no sign of her. You will be contacted if any progress is made and we are not accepting payment until we have results."

"I am still deeply interested in Lily's whereabouts, but no, this is pertaining to your research into transformative substances." He gestured towards the tiger man in case his meaning wasn't clear. The Shredder's eyes widened momentarily before narrowing at him.

"I fail to see how that is any of your concern."

"But it is, since you have poached one of my own scientists, a Dr. Phineas Filtch, for the work and kidnapped my other niece, Lisa Webster, to use as a test subject." The Shredder was very still for a moment.

"I was not aware that Filtch was yours when he offered his services. When he is located his punishment will be severe."

"No need. He has already met with an unfortunate end."

"I see. As for your niece, that is unlikely. We have been using the homeless as test subjects."

"Lisa was taken by Filtch in reaction to her discovering his piracy of intellectual property. I would be most interested in her fate."

"I will look into it and get back to you. If she is still alive, she will be returned to you." He nodded.

"Yes. And if she has been altered, I would like her restored to her natural form." The Shredder sighed.

"That is a work in progress, one I am determined to succeed at. Given the circumstances, once I discover how such a thing is done, the results will be shared with you free of charge." Howard smiled internally. He'd managed to arrange getting his cure without revealing his disability. He'd have to thank Lisa for this if she wasn't a corpse.

"Locating Lisa may also be helpful in locating Lily. No one knows more about Lily than Lisa." The Shredder nodded.

"We will explore that line of investigation. If there is nothing else…?"

"No. I appreciate your work and sincerely hope that this incident does not harm our business relationship."

"As do I." The Shredder got up to leave, followed closely by the tiger man. Yes, this meeting had gone better than expected.


	116. Chapter 114: What Lies in Shadow VIII

**What Lies in Shadow VIII:**

A. J. oozed into the warm bathtub, luxuriating in the moisture. He'd never appreciated baths so much before. At least there were some advantages to his condition. He could hear Dirk in the living area of the suite, cleaning and drying his human suit.

Normally such a task would be beneath his friend, but A. J. didn't trust anyone else with the full extent of his situation and true or not, he knew that Dirk felt responsible for failing to protect him.

Well, it would only be for a short while. Based on their conversation with Filtch, he firmly believed Lisa to be alive. She wasn't the type that died easily anyway. The Shredder would find her and he was certain that she could be used to find Lily. If Lily had truly been abducted, the Foot clan would have found some trace of her by now.

All they'd discovered was that she'd hitchhiked to her old residence in New York. She hadn't been taken. She'd run away. He briefly wondered if she had somehow discovered his plans for her. While else would she flee and disappear so completely? But she was deeply attached to Lisa. If there was anyone she'd reveal her location to, it would be her cousin. Finding Lisa meant finding Lily.

And the Shredder would find the cure he needed believing it to be for Lisa to make up for an embarrassing mistake on his part. He would be human again and would have his Lily and he was done waiting for her.

She was nearly seventeen, the age her mother had been. It was close enough. He was tired of being patient. The girl was already lost to the world, once he had her, he'd just make certain that she was never found again. No one would question it. No one.

* * *

Kitsune looked down at the unconscious form of the warrior in front of her, slumped on the couch. She stroked the feathery head of her short companion.

"And you're sure that he won't wake up?"

"Uh, no milady. I haveth conjured one his true memories, a pleasant one, and have not giveth any indication that it isn't a dream. He will not fighteth. Uh, is this really necessary?"

"Breaking character?"

"Of course not milady, but I once madeth a solemn vow…"

"This is necessary Martin, I assure you. We would never be able to meet his benefactor with the guardian awake. He can afford to house you and any companions you may gather and can arrange the most wondrous and amazing games you've ever dreamt of. You want that don't you Martin?" He nodded meekly.

"And all you will need to do is cast an illusion or two when he asks. But to have this opportunity we must speak to him and his guard is very protective. Do you understand?" Another nod, even more subdued than the last.

Confident that he wasn't going to have an attack of conscience, she positioned herself in line of sight of the bathroom and waited. It didn't take long. The handle turned and an enormous slug slithered out before stopping abruptly as he took in the sight of her, Martin and his sleeping guard.

Deciding that she was the primary threat, he eyed her warily as he considered his options. But she was here to form an alliance, so she splayed her hands out in a gesture of peace.

"Do not be alarmed Mr. Howard. I come with no harmful intent. I merely wish to speak with you." His eyestalks flicked to his guard before returning to her.

"Your man is fine. He's just having some pleasant dreams. I wouldn't want him to interfere with our negotiations." He clearly still did not trust this to be some kind of trap, but her leaning towards discussion and negotiation played to his strengths and he seemed willing to play along, for the moment.

"And what is it you wish to discuss with me Ms…?"

"Kitsune. I am an associate of the Shredder, although he does not know that I am here. I overheard them discussing your mutation." He started, clearly believing that his disguise had actually fooled Tiger Claw and the Shredder, but recovered quickly.

"Mutation? Is that what this is called?"

"Yes. The substance that changed you was mutagen and right now, you are a mutant."

"Throwing a label on it doesn't exactly make it any better."

"No, it just makes communication more straightforward. Did you know that it is not uncommon for mutations to come with extraordinary abilities?" He didn't respond, but clearly this was news to him.

"Allow me to demonstrate."

"You're a mutant?"

"No. But my young friend here is." Martin hopped up.

"Good to meet you Milord Howard. I am Sir Malachi, the sparrow wizard."

"He is also a young man named Martin Milton if you wish to look it up later. Martin, aside from being a mutant sparrow can create illusions in people's minds either for individuals or in shared groups."

"And that's what's happened to Mr. Savage?"

"Indeed. Right now Martin has chosen not to make him consciously aware that it is an illusion to prevent him from fighting it."

"I see."

"I'm not sure you do. Martin, why don't you take the three of us, fully aware, into an illusion of Mr. Howard's home?"

"As Milady commands." Suddenly the three of them were enveloped in a cloud of fog that cleared, revealing them to be in a palatial home rather than the stately hotel room they'd been in a minute ago." Howard looked around in amazement.

"And we are really back in the hotel, asleep?"

"Of course sir. Well more like a trance. It keeps our bodies from collapsing. I can doeth both, but the trance is less powerful Milord."

"While we are here Martin, why don't you restore Mr. Howard's human appearance?"

"But of course." In another puff of smoke, Howard went from a slug mutant to an ordinary human man. He gazed at his body in wonder before running to a mirror and examining his face in detail.

"Remarkable."

"Yes, Martin's abilities are quite special. He is capable of reconstructing or producing any fantasy as though it were entirely real, either made from scratch or using a person's own memories. A useful skill, no?"

Martin puffed up with pride at her assessment and there was a dark glint in Howard's eyes as he considered the possibilities. She knew what fantasy he would like constructed with such a power, but wouldn't likely be willing to share that with Martin. At least right now.

"Martin, please return us to reality."

"At once." The illusion disintegrated and they were once more in the hotel suite. Howard looked over his slug body and sighed.

"Mr. Howard, did you know that you also possess a unique ability?" His eyestalks locked on to her with an intensity that would have unnerved anyone else.

"How would you know that?"

"The mutagen Dr. Filtch used on you was custom made. I overheard some of the scientists discussing what it does and decided to grab the file of it for you." She pulled a manila envelope from the folds of her kimono and handed it to him. His tentacles formed into slimy hands as he received it. He flipped through it and gasped.

"Is this true?"

"Yes. I thought you might be interested in trying it out." She stroked Martin's feathery head again and he understood her meaning.

"Do you know how it works?"

"Focus upon yourself for a moment, specifically the mucous membrane along your skin. Can you feel anything? A rough, grainy sensation?"

"Yes."

"Push it out from you, with your will as you changed your hands. Push it out in a direction of your choosing." A cloud of spores puffed out from him and hit Martin in the face. He coughed and staggered around in confusion.

"You can infect individuals if you attack accurately or groups if you create a cloud. Any mutant, once infected, will permanently respond to your will." Martin's jaw fell open and he stared at her in abject betrayal. Howard looked at the bird boy for a moment and the little sparrow's features went blank. He shuffled over to Howard and knelt before him.

"Remarkable."

"Yes. I found Martin cowering and alone in the sewers and decided to offer him to you as a gift. You can of course collect as many mutant servants as you desire."

"And why would you do this for me?" The suspicion was back. She pulled out another manila envelope and handed it to him.

"There are some mutants that I insist you capture and take away from their current master. I have dossiers on each of them."

He opened the folder, revealing photographs a large mutant wolf, a mutant fish with robotic legs, a mutant rhinoceros dressed as a soldier, a mutant warthog that looked like he belonged on the set of Tron, a horrific mutant fly, two mutant fox girls of different colors and three bizarre mutant versions of the Shredder. The final picture was of a mutant tiger, one he clearly recognized.

"Planning a coup are you?"

"Is it really any concern of yours if I am?"

"No, but there are tasks that I need the Foot clan to complete."

"Your mutant servants may continue to serve the Shredder as long as you desire, revealing more to you than he ever would voluntarily. All I ask is that when I contact you, all his mutant minions abandon him at once." Howard smiled eerily.

"Agreed."

"Now, I will leave you to decide the best use for Martin's powers." Howard chuckled darkly.

"I know just the dream I want." As she left the hotel room, she could feel Martin's despair and helplessness buried deep beneath his unwilling servitude.


	117. Chapter 115: Huntress VI

**Huntress VII:**

Lisa finished the kata, yet again. It was still imperfect. She'd have to keep trying, though her muscles burned and she had a frustration headache. A clouded mind disrupts the body. She growled as one of Master Splinter's lessons flitted through her thoughts. Yes, her mind was clouded and it was killing her focus, but she needed to be doing something.

She'd come back from her walk with Alopex, feeling more like herself than she had in months, determined and ready to take action, only to discover that while she'd been gone she'd missed a crucial battle.

For all her training, when everyone was in jeopardy she hadn't helped at all. They'd faced grave danger, survived it as a family and were having a moment together to celebrate it. It reminded her that she was an outsider and didn't really belong.

Subdued, she hadn't interrupted and the moment had passed. She was back to being the broken, helpless creature they'd found in the Shredder's lab and she wasn't sure how to work up the courage to face him again.

Boldness had been so easy before. It had been such a natural part of who she used to be. But maybe that was because she hadn't really cared what other people thought of her. Now that it mattered, now that one person's true opinion of her could shatter her, she was afraid.

Uncomfortable as things were now, they could always be much, much worse. At least now she could exist in his proximity. They could also be much, much better, her mind whispered as it assaulted her with memories of him carrying her up and down the fire escape outside her building. What was she going to do?

Alopex had seemed so certain, but what would someone who was more a stranger even her than her know? Maybe she should talk to one of his brothers. Probably not Mikey. He'd tell her to go for it, no matter what he thought, just to see Raph's reaction.

Maybe not Leo either. So focused on missions and training, he was the least romantic person ever. Whether he thought there was a chance or not, he'd probably tell her to let it go and focus on her martial arts.

Perhaps Donnie. He was smart and logical, but he was also smitten with April. He knew what it was to pine for someone and he knew his brother. He could advise her. But that meant she'd have to admit how she felt about Raph to him. The idea of doing that made everything frighteningly real. What was she going to do?

"Hey." She turned and saw Alopex at the dojo entrance, or one of the entrances, stretching out.

"Hey." Alopex smiled mischievously.

"I've been feeling a lot better. Want to go for a run?" She gestured to the ceiling with her head indicating that she wanted to go topside. Hmm, they were supposed to stay hidden down here.

"No one has to know. Splinter's in his room meditating, the guys are out patrolling and Venus is doing that weird mind training thing with Lily. We won't be missed and we'll be safe together. I just want to feel the wind in my fur for a while. Aren't you sick of being trapped down here?"

Yes, she was. Maybe some fresh air was just the thing she needed to clear the cobwebs out of her head. Besides she'd been training and her instincts told her Alopex was no slouch in a fight. They didn't need anyone to protect them. Her rebellious nature resurfaced like a long lost friend and she laughed.

"Sure. Let's go."

* * *

Alopex looked back and watched Lisa leap over to her rooftop with a graceful bound and a cry of exaltation.

"That was amazing! I've never been able to jump so far before. It's like flying." Alopex allowed herself a genuine laugh at Lisa's joy.

"Yeah, I know. I've never felt so free. Let's jump a few more." She was actually having fun. Spending time with Lisa was surprisingly pleasant. She'd miss it when it was gone, but at least she wouldn't be sacrificing the girl or her beloved. Plans had changed.

It would still be dangerous, but she'd get everyone out alive. One way or another. For now, she had to get to her stash. Having finally recovered from her injuries, it was time to set things in motion. Four buildings later, she stopped and let Lisa catch up to her.

"Lisa, do you ever think about the people left behind at the lab?" The lizard girl stilled beside her.

"All the time."

"Me too."

"I know the guys will go back there and set things right. But it worries me. I can't stand the idea of them being caught there, you know?" Alopex nodded.

"No, they should never be put at risk that way." She started down a fire escape with a confused Lisa in tow. The lizard girl stared around the playground in puzzlement.

"This is where they almost got me when I was escaping." Lisa gasped.

"Why would you want to come back here then?" Alopex grinned.

"I took something with me when I fled and it's probably not safe to just leave it here where someone can find it." Before Lisa could respond, she shimmied under the merry-go-round and dug up an old sack, dusting the dirt off of her fur after retrieving it.

"If it's dangerous, why didn't you send the guys to get it?" Alopex adjusted her posture to be shy and nervous. She opened the bag and withdrew one of several of Stockman's baseball sized attack spheres with a shy smile while palming a communicator, transmitter and some other items. She slipped the latter two items into the pouch of her hoodie as she made to show the metal orb to Lisa.

"They look pretty high tech. He'd probably find them interesting, right? I thought perhaps if I gave them to him, maybe…" Lisa's eyes widened.

"Oh, Donnie?" Alopex ducked her head and dropped the orb back into the bag.

"I know that it was dangerous and selfish not to send them straight here to get it and I'm not a fool. I know about him…and April, but I just thought…" Lisa put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know." Alopex cleared her throat as she pretended to regain her composure.

"So how are things going with you and Raphael? It doesn't seem like anything's changed." Lisa flushed and dropped her hand.

"Because it hasn't."

"But I thought that you were going to…"

"I lost my nerve!" Lisa snapped and Alopex stepped back. The lizard girl shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I…I just don't want to screw this up." Alopex nodded.

"Well I wish you luck." Lisa managed a smile.

"Yeah, you too. Let's get those back to the lair before the boys get home."

* * *

Alopex tapped her paw nervously against the floor as she sat on her cot in Donatello's lab. She'd been careful not to make a nuisance of herself, so that he would allow her to stay.

It would have been much harder to keep up the ruse if she'd been forced to bunk with Venus. She didn't know how far the girl's psychic abilities extended. It was much easier to hang with someone who completely lost touch with the world as he immersed himself in his work.

Lisa had returned to the dojo, presumably to psych herself up to talk to Raphael and Alopex had used her transmitter to send very detailed orders to one of the Footbots under her command and the communicator to set up the trap with the Shredder. He'd be waiting for her to lure the turtles into an ambush where he could capture them alive. And no one would question the actions of one Footbot. It's not like they were people with personal motivations or divided loyalties.

She was playing a careful game here, but had to. The turtles were good people, but terrible liars. Their reactions needed to be authentic for this to work. Besides, if she explained the whole truth to them, they'd never trust her enough to go through with her plan voluntarily. No, whatever it cost her, it had to be this way.

Outside the lab's thick metal door, she could hear the commotion of the returning turtles. Donatello entered and sat down at his desk without even noticing her. She stood and moved over to him. Still no reaction. Was he really a ninja or had she just lulled him into that much of a state of complacency. Oh well, enough subtlety.

Needing to get things moving, she sat on the desk and swished her tail in front of him. He was so startled that he nearly fell backwards out of his computer chair. Blushing in embarrassment, he managed to catch himself and stared at her as though he were seeing her for the first time. She smiled encouragingly, feeling slightly guilty for toying with him but only a little bit.

"I went out with Lisa earlier." She could see the recriminations on the tip of his tongue, but forged ahead.

"To get something I dropped when I was attacked before. I stole it when I fled." She held up the sack and his eyes followed it, alighting with curiosity.

"Now that I'm feeling better, I wanted to get it. For you. Since you like technology. And science stuff." She held out the bag towards him and carefully evaded his gaze. She could feel the sack being lifted from her hands. As he rummaged, she wrung her hands, in case he had the awareness to notice, and continued speaking.

"Lisa was with me the whole time, so we were safe and we made really sure no one saw us or followed us back." He lifted one of the metal spheres out of the bag and stared at it.

"It's one of Stickmen's weapons that he made with Kraang tech." He sounded surprised.

"Oh? Is that good or bad? I mean, can you use them? Instead of him. For the hero stuff that you guys do." This nervous stammering was getting annoying. She really needed to wrap this conversation up, but not before she was sure the seeds of her suggestions had been planted in fertile ground.

"Hmm. Well, yes, I could probably reprogram them. It would serve him right too."

Without another word, he retrieved the rest from the sack and lined them up neatly on his desk. Starting with the rightmost one, he pried open some of the paneling and began poking around inside with his precision tools from the desk drawer, lost again in his own little world. He didn't even notice as Alopex slipped off the desk and out of the lab to complete the next phase of the plan.

* * *

Lisa sat straight backed and stiff on the couch, nominally fascinated by the Crognard episode that Mikey had glued himself to upon arrival after not finding Lily available. When she heard them in the subway tunnel, she'd run out to greet them. To greet Raphael. Then promptly panicked and redirected to the kitchen, pretending she needed an ice pack from Ice Cream Kitty.

They all came in. Donnie had gone to his lab and she wished Alopex better luck than she seemed to be having. Mikey looked around for Lily and not finding her, made a beeline for the television.

Leo went to report to Master Splinter and Raph plopped down on a bean bag to read one of Mikey's comic books. Not only had she thought she'd seen him reading it before, she was pretty sure he didn't like it. What was he doing? He either liked her or disliked her that much. She couldn't decide which and it was killing her.

She reached for an icepack, but thought better of it. What if he thought she was weak and clumsy for injuring herself in practice? Instead, she grabbed a popsicle and sat down on the couch behind Mikey, feigning interest in the show as she sucked on the frozen treat without even tasting it.

She thought she'd seen him glance at her out of the corners of his eyes and shift in the bean bag chair, but she couldn't be sure without turning her head and revealing her interest. As usual this was painfully uncomfortable, but she couldn't bring herself to get up and hide in her room. It was better to be uncomfortable with him than safe and berating herself without him.

She wasn't sure how long that went on, her holding as still as possible as she slowly consumed the popsicle and stared intently at the television and him occasionally glancing at her and shifting about, or so she thought.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leo's voice boomed out of the dojo, startling all of them. Donnie poked his head out of the lab and Venus and Lily emerged from Venus's room.

Grateful for the distraction, Lisa leapt to her feet and ran to the dojo, vaguely aware that the others were following. Master Splinter stood at the door to his room, hands resting on his cane, calmly watching as Leo loomed sternly over Alopex, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Alopex was cowed on the ground with an open backpack and some scattered weapons and smoke bombs taken from the dojo's equipment stash, unable to meet his gaze.

"Well?" Leo tapped his foot to indicate that he was waiting. Alopex sighed and glared up at him.

"I have to go back."

"Back? To where? The Shredder's lab?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"There's a girl there. I wouldn't have escaped without her help. She's still there and I need to go back and save her."

"A girl?" Leo lost his stern demeanor and was now looking at her in confusion.

"I don't know who she was, but I remember what she looked like. She had short black hair and white make up with red accents around the eyes. Her eyes were green and her pupils were slit, like an alligator or a lizard."

Leo became completely still and Lisa was sure that he stopped breathing. But Alopex didn't seem to notice, totally caught in the retelling of her escape. At least she remembered hers.

"They were dragging me back to my cell after…after…they were taking me back and pulling her out when she saw me. Her hands shot out and hit the guards holding me. I don't know how. She shouldn't have been able to reach, but she did and they dropped me.

"Then more guards piled on her and she hit the control panel. It knocked the power our and she called out to me to run. I have to go back for her. I'm healed now and stronger than I was before. I can't stand the thought of her there, knowing what they do to people. Please understand."

Leo closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his snout. If Lisa didn't know any better, she'd guess that he was trembling.

"Why didn't you ask for help?" Alopex shot a glance toward Donnie that everyone probably caught but him. Well maybe Lily too. But Lily and Donnie were the only ones who didn't notice.

"It's too dangerous. I couldn't risk you guys for something that's my responsibility." Leo shook his head.

"Alopex it's what we do." She nodded reluctantly.

"I assume you had some kind of a plan." Another nod, more confident this time." Leo looked around at everyone gathered in the room.

"Looks like we've got a rescue mission."


	118. Chapter 116: Brotherhood XII

**Brotherhood XII:**

Leo crouched behind the dump truck trying not to think about what was inside, based on what Alopex had told him. The others were waiting for his signal. He could see the metal double doors in the ground that led within.

He was nearly quaking with excitement and had been since Alopex had told them what she was doing in the weapons cupboard. They were finally going to do it, finally going to save her. Finally. But he had to do this right. Had to protect his family. He couldn't be selfish about this.

They were split into two teams. On the roof of a nearby building, Donnie waited with Mikey, Venus and Lisa while he was down here with Raph and Alopex. Aside from their primary purpose, Donnie's team was the ambush back up, in case things went wrong, not that they would but it was best to be prepared.

He had the smaller strike team to stealth in and out with her as quickly as possible. Given the surgical precision that the mission required, it was necessary to have the smaller team on point. This was an infiltration, not an assault and the less people to attract attention, the better.

He'd go alone if he could, but that would put her safety and his at too much risk. He needed Raph backing him up in this, loathe as he was to bring him back to the place where the Shredder had put that mind control worm in him.

Without Mikey and Donnie to push his buttons, Raph would be absolutely focused on the mission and not prone to loud outbursts. Besides, no insult to his other brothers, but there was no one he trusted more to fight at his side than Raph. They made a powerful team.

He would have left Alopex too if he could have, given what she'd psychologically be facing returning here, but he needed her to lead them. She was the only one who knew the way. He recalled the planning meeting back in Donnie's lab.

"How do you even hope to get back inside?" Donnie's question was calm and rational like him. Alopex smiled up at him sweetly, clearly making his brilliant brother uncomfortable.

"I mean, they sealed off the entrance we used the last time we broke in there and it was guarded by Shredder mutants even before they were expecting us."

"The same way I got out. I don't think they know how I did it since they didn't start chasing until I was well away." Donnie cleared his throat.

"And that way was…?"

"Her smile vanished. I guess taking the bodies out through the regular doors became too tedious, so in the…experimenting rooms, they just installed a chute down to the incinerator. As much as I didn't want to go back to those rooms so soon after…it was the only way I could think of.

"I dove down the chute. The incinerator wasn't on, there's a button they press at the top when they need to use it. I suppose that saves energy. So I just landed in the…the…" She shuddered and looked like she was going to be ill for a moment before she got it under control.

"So I landed without getting injured. There's a cart and tunnel that leads to some garbage trucks…for when they need to empty it. I'll just backtrack my way in."

Leo shook free of the memory. It was time to move. He signaled to Alopex to lead the way. In a voice too low to be heard, he spoke.

"I'm coming Karai. Wait for me, I'm coming to save you."

* * *

Raph followed Leo and Alopex through the metal doors down into the tunnel, quietly closing them behind him. There were small metal tracks on the ground that reminded him of depictions of mines in old westerns. Soon they'd be back in the lab. Where they'd hurt Lisa. Where they put that…thing in him.

He never thought he'd be so happy to be on his way back here and maybe he really wasn't, but he'd never been so relieved to get a mission. But after wallowing in his personal hell for God knows how long last night, he would have accepted any mission to get out of it, even if meant going back to Dimension X where everything was so loopy and backwards that Mikey was a genius and a leader.

It had been a good night patrolling with his brothers and helping people. Why hadn't he just gone straight to his room when they got home? When he saw her in the kitchen, he should have, but he wanted to prove that he could act normal, like everything was fine. What a mistake that was.

She'd sat down to watch TV with Mikey, still covered in a sheen of sweat from working out and sucking on a popsicle. He couldn't stop looking. What he wanted to do was outright stare at her. No what he wanted to do was much worse than that.

He couldn't keep his face buried in whatever book he'd grabbed and pretended to read when she was igniting his imagination. It was a freaking popsicle. What was wrong with him? And even when he could look away, he couldn't block out her scent, reminding him that she was right there, a few feet away.

He didn't know how long they were stuck like that but it was possibly the longest and most uncomfortable moment of his life. He never thought he'd be so grateful to hear Leo's bossy leader voice than when it had caused her to jump up and run for the dojo. What was wrong with him?

Now he was returning to the place he hated most in the world to save someone who had repeatedly tried to kill him and his family and who he, even now, didn't really trust and it was fine. Because this mission had gotten him out of that moment. He had to make sure to never, ever get stuck like that again.

Alopex led, followed by Leo and then him. In Leo's belt he could see the reassuring sight of Donnie's latest invention. He remembered when his brainy brother presented it at the planning meeting last night. Alopex had just explained her route back into the building, when Leo, ever the tactical thinker, had brought up an important point.

"That sounds like it will work Alopex, but there is another problem." She'd cocked her head and looked up at him.

"The Shredder, he's the one responsible for what was done to you, has developed a type of mind control. We know the girl who helped you, her name is Karai and we also know that they've used the mind control worms on her."

"What? How?"

"We had a confrontation with her recently."

"A confrontation?"

"Don't get me wrong, we want to save her, she's my…I mean our…she's our…sister."

"Oh. Isn't there any way to free her from the mind control?"

"Yes. Get her really, really, really angry. But that's not exactly efficient, subtle or reliable."

"I have an idea." Everyone turned to Donnie.

"Remember that Rockwell used his telekinesis to get the brain worm out of Slash."

"Oh yeah D, Monkeybrains totally saved the day! You know along with the rest of us."

"Don't call him that Mikey." But Donnie was smiling as he said it, not doing a great job of hiding the fact that he liked Mikey's nickname for Rockwell. Leo shook his head.

"You know April doesn't have enough control over her powers to use telekinesis at will." That's when Raph had finally been able to contribute.

"Besides, Casey said that she's helping him. Something weird is up with his dad and they're looking into it." Donnie looked momentarily crestfallen before shaking it off and refocusing.

"No, that's not what I meant." He proudly held up what looked like a ray gun from Space Heroes and Raph could actually see Leo's eyes light up in excitement.

"This will produce the same kind of force that Rockwell telekinetically generated. Just point it at her head, press the button and the waves it produces will drive that thing right out of her."

The memory faded and Raph had to actively suppress a chuckle. Leo was such a kid sometimes. Just cause it looked like a ray gun.

Finally, they made it to the incinerator and he tried to breath as little as possible, all the mirth leaving him at once. This place smelled of death. The large furnace was full of ash and bone that he really did not want to touch. Making eye contact with Leo told him he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

Without another word, the three of them slipped on their bagh nakh and began to climb the chute. He remembered when Donnie had first made the little metal palm claws to scale the Kraang fortress on that first mission to save April. They'd been such kids then. It hadn't actually been that long ago, but so much had happened since that he felt a lot older now.

Yes, now as he was climbing up a corpse disposal shaft into the place where Lisa had been tortured to test the limits of her mutation. He had to fight not to growl at the thought. They were totally shutting this operation down.

* * *

Mikey bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, doing his best to contain his overflowing energy. It was wrong to be bored with two brothers in the Shredder's lair. But it was taking forever. And nothing was happening. His bouncing intensified and Donnie, Venus and Lisa turned to glare it him. He made an effort to be still. Donnie just shook his head and sighed, pulling out and starting up a tablet.

"Oohh. Are we gonna play games while we wait? Cuz I vote for a fighting game. You always choose the boring puzzle games." Donnie groaned and rubbed his temples as the tablet came to life.

"Mikey were you paying attention at all yesterday? Let me rephrase that. You weren't paying attention at all yesterday." Mikey frowned.

"Of course I was." He glanced over at Lisa, noting the pistols strapped to her hips. They'd been in Donnie's lab and Leo had totally geeked out over the mind ray gun when she'd come in. Lisa's entrance had startled Raph so bad he'd nearly jumped out of his shell. Ah, one of those moments you wish could be caught on tape and replayed anytime you needed a smile.

"I'm coming too." Raph recovered quickly enough to answer first.

"No way! You shouldn't be anywhere near that place. Not ever again." They'd had a short glaring contest that ended with Lisa stepping up, poking him in the chest and getting inches from his face.

Whatever anger fueled thing she was going to say was cut off by Raph's startled screech and rapid backpedaling until his shell hit the wall. Mikey'd only ever seen him react that way to cockroaches. For a moment they'd both been speechless, Raph terrified and Lisa miserable, before she got her anger back.

"I need to go back. I have to fight them. Shut down that program. I need to be a part of this. Please." Her anger had faded into desperation and Raph managed a mute nod.

"Uh, Lisa…" Leo was holding some fancy gadget that Donnie had given him. It looked like a headset with a camera. Not fair. He'd been asking Donnie for a head cam for years to make movies while skateboarding. He should have been first in line for one.

"This is going to be dangerous and…"

"Hear me out Leo. I've been training and you said yourself that I've gotten a lot better."

"Yes, but…"

"And I assure that I'm a really good shot." She gestured to guns that everyone suddenly noticed she was wearing on her hips, cargo skirt pockets bulging with spare clips and canisters of something. Woah, did she have grenades? Lily's cousin was awesome. This was going to the most badass mission ever.

"I've been shooting since before I can remember."

"I believe you but guns aren't exactly stealthy…"

"Then put me on the back up team. If I need to go in, it won't matter because stealth will already have failed."

"How did you…"

"I've been listening and I'm going along. I just have to be part of this. Please Leo."

"Ok. You'll join Mikey, Donnie and Venus as our reinforcements."

"Mikey. Mikey!" Donnie was waving a hand in front of his face and he realized that he'd gotten distracted recalling their planning session the night before.

"Uh, yeah." Donnie sighed. You'd think he'd be used to this by now. Even Mikey knew about his own short attention span.

"Humor me. Tell me what the plan is?" All Mikey could come up with was screwdriver wielding ninja kittens battling evil squirrels. Hmm, he hadn't really been paying attention to the plan making part of the planning meeting. But he knew some answers that were usually right.

"We kick the bad guys' butts?"

"When?"

"Uh, when Leo tells us to." Donnie just shook his head.

"I guess you don't really need to know the details." Donnie's earpiece crackled to life and he could hear Leo's voice on the other end.

"Donnie, we're in."

"Establishing video link now." Mikey heard Lisa gasp as the tablet screen filled with the image of tables full of restraints and walls covered with sharp and unpleasant looking tool that Mikey knew would be starring in his dentist nightmares for the foreseeable future.

Beside him, Lisa began to tremble. He patted her back reassuringly, blabbering on about the videogames he'd rather being using the tablet for. He wasn't even listening to himself, but instinct and experience told him that the cadence of his nonsense was a great distraction. Venus took Lisa's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

He looked back at the screen. Raph was in view, trembling with rage. He really hoped Raph didn't blow it. Leo was always going on about ninjas being quiet and he thought he remembered someone saying stealth was important for this mission. Raph's tantrums were neither quiet nor stealthy.

"Raph?" He could hear the question in Leo's voice. Raph took a couple deep breaths and the trembling stopped.

"I'm fine. We're ending this. Tonight." The view tilted as Leo nodded. Then Donnie was speaking again.

"Leo, I need you to find the main lab and look around. I'll let you know when I see the terminal that I need and instruct you from there." There were a few nauseatingly dizzy moments as Leo swiftly and silently attacked and destroyed the Footbots guarding the lab.

When Mikey risked opening his eyes again, he saw Raph on the screen, pulling one of his sais out of a Footbot's head. Then he launched at something else. For a moment the screen focused on Raph beating the snot out of Buzzkill with extreme prejudice.

Despite everything he'd ever done to them, Mikey couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He hoped Raph didn't kill him. Without Buzzkill, who would be Turflytle's arch nemesis? Leo cleared his throat and mercifully looked away, towards Alopex.

"Check on the prisoners." She nodded and rushed off as Leo began exploring the lab to the background sound of Raph and Buzzkill's rather one sided battle. They were all still cringing, except for Lisa who wore and expression of determined fury. When she noticed Mikey watching her, she responded.

"He deserves everything he's getting and more." Maybe she was right, but he still felt like it shouldn't have been them doing it to him.

"There Leo! That's the terminal right in front of you. Plug it into that port to the right of the screen."

* * *

Donnie watched Leo's hand, holding the drive, waver uncertainly over the terminal.

"Further right. Lower. It's shaped like the end of the drive. Just match the shapes already! No! That's obviously too small, the one below it." They both breathed a sigh of relief as Leo finally managed to plug the drive in and the program within it came to life. Leo had been so nervous about this part yesterday.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Donnie? Maybe you should come in with us?" He pressed the drive into Leo's hand.

"It's all set up to infiltrate the system and connect back to me remotely. All you have to do is plug it in. It will be easier for me to manage if I don't have to worry about fighting too."

"I know." And it was clear that Leo did. He understood perfectly well that this was the best course of action. It was his own plan after all, but he had no confidence with technology if he wasn't dealing with it Raph style.

"Don't worry Leo. I'll tell you exactly what to do. Then you can help Alopex and Raph with the prisoners." Mikey clapped a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"D's right Leo. You got this. Don't question the genius."

"Don't call me that!" Just because he was better at science and engineering than his brothers didn't make him a genius and it always made his blush furiously when they called him names like that. At least April wasn't here to notice.

"It will be simple Leo. I promise."

Suddenly he was back in the present and his program connected to his tablet, opening up the Shredder's computer system to him. He flipped off Leo's camera as he began sifting through the files and transferring over the ones that he needed. In his headset, he could hear Leo talking to Alopex in a voice soft with sorrow.

"All the cells are empty?" There was a hitch in the fox girl's voice as she responded.

"They were here when I left. There were people here. I'm not lying, I swear." Donnie skimmed through some of the files and pinched his eyes shut in pain.

"Leo, it looks like the Shredder finished his mutation research a few weeks ago. He's been focusing on mind control lately."

"But…"

"Leo, he didn't need the mutation test subjects anymore." There was a moment of silence as they all absorbed that. Alopex's quiet voice broke it.

"But the girl who saved me."

"Karai. Her name is Karai and she's fine. Other than being mind-controlled. We saw her recently when the Shredder forced her to attack us."

"But where…" Donnie pulled up the building schematics from the computer.

"I think I know. If she's controlled the Shredder is probably treating her as one of his subordinates. She'll probably be in her old quarters."

"Donnie's got a location for her." As Leo reassured Alopex, three blinking dots appeared on his schematic screen, indicating the position of his three allies within. He quickly identified the area that Karai would likely be in and started to plot a route.

The command prompt was active at the bottom of the screen, overlapping the map. He had everything he needed. Before he activated the virus that would crippled the system, he instructed it to dispose of the reserves of carefully organized customized mutagen that they'd stored up after each experiment as though they were bad batches.

That must have been why the Shredder used so much when mutating people, even though only a little was needed to cause a mutation. He'd been puzzled by the Shredder's wastefulness when Lisa had related the tale of her mutation, though he'd wisely kept the observation to himself.

Now he knew. They'd created the customized mutagen in batches with stores to use later if they liked the results. Well he'd taken care of that. Now to activate the virus.

"Ok Leo. Time to get Raph. I'll guide you to her."

* * *

Venus felt Lisa pull her hand free, having now collected herself, she seemed embarrassed by her near breakdown. No one blamed her. Venus admired her and hoped that, should she ever find herself unfortunate enough to be harmed as Lisa was, she would exhibit as much strength in confronting it.

Donatello's instructions drew her from her musings and back to the screen where the three dots that represented Leonardo, Raphael and Alopex moved through a maze of lines. It still astounded her how he could infiltrate and attack an enemy fortress simply by sitting on a nearby roof top.

Maybe she should discuss her difficulties finding the Dragonlord with him after this. With such wonders at his disposal, maybe he would have more success than she and Master Splinter had. It was a shame that waited this long to ask, needing to see him in action before she could truly respect what he was capable of. She vowed to be more open minded in the future.

There was something about this place that was nagging her. It pulled at her instincts, trying to claim her attention, but she could not be distracted now. Her allies were in the heart of their greatest enemy's stronghold.

This mission put Leonardo in great danger, but it was to save his sister. She would do the same for Dan Huan were he ever to come to such harm. But she would not rest easy until Leonardo and his team returned safely with Karai.

She needed to focus and be ready for the very likely possibility that something went wrong. There was no time for distracted musings about the strange energy surrounding this place. No doubt it was related to the evil of this Shredder's actions as his cruel deeds accumulated in this spot. She could think on it later, when Leonardo was safe and home.

"Ok, you'll have to be careful now. The only way to access the quarters she's probably staying in is through the throne room. The door is at the back on the right side." Donatello sounded calm as he spoke, but she could feel the anxiety coming off of him in waves. He was not ignorant of the danger either. But it was a good plan. Leonardo's plan. Surely everything would be fine.

And then, over Donatello's communication device, she heard a muted bang, like a small explosion and some coughing. Then the screen of his map device lit up with angry, blinking red letters indicating that Leonardo had activated the emergency alert button on the communication headpiece he'd been given. She remembered when Donatello had presented him with it the night before.

"It works like a hands free phone and with this camera, I can see what you see if I need to. If anything goes wrong, just press this button and we'll be there in seconds. Got it?"

"Got it Donnie. Good work." The exchange faded from her mind. Something had gone terribly wrong. It was time to go in.


	119. Chapter 117: Huntress VIII

**Huntress VIII:**

Alopex's stomach clenched as they entered thrown room. Time had run out. She hated to do this, but it was the only way. When they reached the halfway point, the place she needed them to be, she withdrew two small gray spheres that vaguely resembled Donnie's smoke bombs from her hoodie pouch and cracked them with her claws.

The quiet snapping sound that resulted caused both turtles in front of her to whip around in confused annoyance, only to each be struck in the face with a sphere as they turned. They didn't even have time to process what was happening as their heads were enveloped in a cloud of dust that they couldn't help but choke and cough on.

It wasn't a smoke bomb, but stunning powder. Her own cocktail instead of the Shredder's, specially modified for tonight, curtesy of Donnie's lab. They dropped to the ground, conscious but barely able to move. She didn't want them to lose track of the events or their surroundings after all.

Raph glared at her hatefully, brimming with futile anger. Leo just looked hurt and confused, painfully reminiscent of the last time she'd seen Umeko. As she reached towards his head, he tried to pull away, but was too paralyzed do so effectively. She could see him bracing for a blow. Then his eyes widened in shock and horror as she tapped the emergency call button and he understood what she'd done. This had better be worth it.

* * *

Donnie ran along the rooftops, leaping across to the cathedral ledge. There was a hole near the clock tower at the front that the enemy never seemed to repair or seal up. Part of his brain reminded him that he should be worried about that. It was one the many reasons they hadn't wanted to take that way in when they were planning. But right now it was the fastest route the Leo and Raph's location.

He could hear Mikey, Venus and Lisa land on the ledge behind him as he slipped through. In the middle of the room, Leo and Raph were down and Alopex was crouched in front of them. Had there been some kind of trap that they triggered. After all the times they'd snuck in here, it wouldn't surprise him if the Shredder had set booby traps. But Leo should have been alert for them. How could he not have noticed?

He attached the end of his grappling hook to a pipe on the inner ledge and slid down the rope, hearing his three teammates following behind him as he ran up beside Alopex. They looked like they'd been paralyzed, but were still awake. It seemed like they were trying to communicate something important to him with their wide panicked eyes. He turned to Alopex.

"What happened?" She seemed…sad?

Suddenly, all the lights turned on and Mikey let out a yelp. Donatello's stomach dropped as he gazed around the room. The Shredder was now seated on his throne with Karai about seven feet behind him to his left and another similarly placed female ninja to his right.

Around the edges of the room were Tiger Claw, Rahzar, Fish Face, Rocksteady, Bebop and more Footbots than he could accurately count. Ambush! But how? Trying not to shake as he calculated their odds of survival, he readied his bow, knowing that Mikey, Venus and Lisa were drawing their own weapons.

He froze as Alopex strode up to the Shredder. What was she doing? She was going to get herself killed. Not that anyone of them stood much of a chance at this point, but why was she throwing her life away? Then she knelt before the Shredder.

"Master." He felt sick. Now he knew how they'd been ambushed.

"You have done well Alopex and shall be rewarded accordingly."

"Thank you master." She then moved to take her place to the left of his throne. The pieces kept falling into place as he put together how she had orchestrated this from the very beginning. Why hadn't he seen it before? Because he had trusted her. Believed her to be a friend. All his assumptions, based on that false premise had led to their demise.

He had never been particularly inclined towards anger and vengeance, but right now he hated her, intensely. His only consolation was that April had been too busy to join the mission. At least she was safe. The Shredder eyed the tableau, taking in his victory.

"I must have the purple one alive." Oh God. He thought he might actually throw up. Why did they want him alive? What were they planning to do to him? Couldn't he just die honorably with his brothers?

"If possible, take as many of the others alive as you can, but if they put up too much resistance just kill them." All he could think was why the Shredder would want him as their enemies advanced.

* * *

Leo was so caught up in self-recrimination and betrayal, he almost failed to notice feeling returning to his numbed limbs. The paralysis was wearing off. Already? How could the effects be so short lived?

A glance at Raph told him that he was not alone in this. But they needed to make the most of the element of surprise. He could see in Raph's eyes that he understood too and was waiting for a signal from Leo.

Good thing it was Raph. Strange as it was, of all his brothers, Raph understood him best. Defiant as he was, if he chose he could pick up on Leo's plans or intentions without words or gestures. So they waited as Shredder spoke.

He wanted Donnie, probably for his unique intelligence. But why the rest of them? Oh. Donnie would need motivation to be cooperative. They absolutely had to win this or die trying. Some things were worse than death.

He could tell Donnie was scared, just short of panicking actually, but his brave little brother stepped forward towards the Shredder, holding his bo in a defensive stance as though to protect Raph and Leo. Lisa moved to guard Raph's side while Venus took his. And little Mikey stayed where he was, but turned outward to fend off attackers. They'd formed a protective ring around their downed comrades. Leo was proud of them.

Their enemies closed in. Bebop and Rocksteady were going for Lisa, Fish Face was moving in towards Venus, Rahzar was going for Mikey and Tiger Claw and the strangely familiar kunoichi that had been standing behind the Shredder advanced on Donnie.

He gave the slightest of nods to Raph and then dove, swords blazing at Tiger Claw while Raph whipped out his sais and launched himself onto Rocksteady to everyone's cries of surprise and the Shredder's shout of rage.

* * *

Alopex stood by the Shredder taking in the entire scene. A lot was happening simultaneously but she saw all of it. It was her doing after all.

Bradford ran at Mikey with a wide, sweeping slash of his bony talons, but Mikey flipped forward, landed on his head and flailed his chucks into the sides of Bradford's head, before back flipping off of him and landing behind him.

Slightly dazed, but quickly shaking it off, Bradford spun around and dove at him, seeking to catch him and tear him in half. But he snatched at air as Mikey charged forward, slid under him, taking out both knees with his nunchaku before emerging on the other side as Bradford lurched forward with a howl of pain. The Footbots were closing in.

Before Bradford could recover, Mikey pulled out his kusari-gama and embedded it in Bradford's shoulder, eliciting another agonized growl, and used Bradford as an anchor to swing from his kusari-gama chain, smashing Footbots with his nunchaku while wrapping the chain around Bradford's throat.

He yanked the chain forward, intending to pull Bradford's face in towards a strike from his weapon, but misjudged the weight difference. Bradford didn't budge, but instead reared back, sending Mikey flying through the air over his head.

Bradford reached out to slash him midair, but somehow Mikey, flipped his body around, narrowly evading them. He landed in a somersault on the other side, pulling the chain with him and snapping Bradford's head backwards.

Bradford staggered off balance for a moment, before righting himself, grabbing the chain around his throat with both hands and breaking it off of him, leaving Mikey's kusari-gama in pieces. But he still had his nunchaku.

Mikey was gracefully dodging Bradford's claws as he chucked down one Footbot after another while getting the occasional hit in on the wolf man himself. He was keeping ahead, but all it would take was one mistake and he was done. He'd begin tiring soon.

Venus slid under Xever's opening kick, rolling behind him and letting her rope dart fly. Her eyes lit up with a glowing blue energy. Xever narrowly evaded her strike, but then she yanked it back, slicing his side open on the return trip. The wound was superficial though and he ignored it, coming at her with a spinning kick.

It was not possible for her to move out of the way in time, so she didn't try and instead blocked his robotic leg with her forearm. His kick stopped inches from her in a blinding flare of blue light that seemed to travel up his body like lightning, leaving him convulsing and unconscious on the ground.

But she'd lost track of the Footbots in the fight and now they swarmed her. She dropped her rope dart and pulled out her butterfly swords, fighting a losing battle just to keep all of them at bay.

Lisa dodged a series of Zeck's energy blasts, shot somehow from his hips, before using her own pistols to shoot out his energy guns. Before she could readjust her aim to something more vital, he'd flipped in front of her and kicked the guns from her hands, sending them sliding into the middle of the room and knocking her on her back.

He was moving in to stomp on her, when her tail whipped across, taking his legs out from under him. In a flash, she was on her feet withdrawing a canister from her pocket. As he tried to flip back up, she sprayed him in the face with it. With a strangled shriek, he ran thrashing from the room while clawing at his face. Tucking the canister away, she dove for her guns and began to rapidly take out Footbots with headshots. She wasn't kidding when she said her aim was good.

Raph had tried to bury the tips of his sais into Steranko's eyes, but the Rhino had caught his wrists and thrown him into a wall of Footbots. However Raph was sturdy and violent, destroying the Footbots, with precision strikes as he landed into them and charging back towards Steranko before the others could close in on him.

Steranko opted against using his hammer and sickle, instead lowering his head to meet Raph's charge and impale the turtle on his horn. But Raph was agile as well as strong and spun out of the way at the last second, using the momentum of his spin to sink his sais deep into the side of Steranko's knee. The rhino went down with a howl of pain, but wasn't out of the fight yet and Raph still had the Footbots to contend with.

The Headhunter whipped her manriki towards Donnie, entangling his bo and yanking him off balance towards her. She dropped the chain to charge and spear him with her wakizashi before he could recover, but Donnie was clever and hit her in the face with a smoke bomb before she got to him, buying him the precious few seconds he needed to regain his balance and try stabbing her with his naginata blade.

Sensing his attack, she arched to the side, letting it and him flow past her while striking him in the temple with the pommel of her blade. He staggered aside, but shook it off as she rolled for her manriki, returning to the advantage of distance.

They both let shruiken fly, but all the projectiles collided midair with none reaching their actual targets. As she coiled her manriki, he rushed in to sweep her legs with his bo, but she was ready for him, letting the chain fly out to wrap around his wrist. She yanked down and spun, knocking the bo from his grip and sending him staggering forward as she side kicked his ankles.

Donnie flailed and looked like he was going to fall onto her, but she rolled to her back and he came down hard, gut first onto her coiled feet, which she thrust forward, while yanking on the chain to send him sprawling onto his shell against the wall into a horde of Footbots waiting to pin him.

As he went flying, he had one trick left. He released several of his reprogrammed attack spheres from Stockman at her before they pinned him and she was forced into a deadly dance with them, slashing at them with her wakizashi as she avoided being sliced to ribbons. She'd beat them of course, but in the meantime she would be of no use to her allies.

Tiger Claw barely deflected Leo's swords with his guns, knocking him backwards with a kick. He turned the fall into a back flip and landed on his feet, only to immediately start having to dodging blasts of red lasers and ice. As he dodged, jumping, twisting, rolling and flipping, he was moving forward, closer to Tiger Claw.

Seeing Leo getting back into sword range, Tiger Claw started his jet pack to keep his ranged weapon advantage. Still holding his swords, Leo dove forward, balanced on his fists in a crouched handstand. He used his arms to launch himself upward, hooking his legs around Tiger Claws feet and snapped his torso upright with the intention of burying his blades to the hilt into Tiger Claw's gut.

But once again, Tiger Claw intervened with his guns, deflecting a mortal wound. However Leo swords still but sliced through his sides, deeply. Tiger Claw steered his jetpack up and back, ramming Leo's shell into the ceiling hard enough to produce a painful cracking sound.

With a ragged scream, Leo dropped his swords and they clattered to the ground. Despite that, he still managed to pull out the kogatana blades, hidden in each of his wrist wraps and embed them into Tiger Claws throat while he was distracted with trying to drill Leo into the ceiling.

With a strangled cry, Tiger Claw dropped his guns and stopped firing his jetpack. He raked his claws deep into Leo's arms as they dropped back down, crashing through the glass floor into the water below. Some Footbots started pulling a semiconscious Tiger Claw out, while Leo, cutting himself on the broken glass, hauled his protesting body back onto the concrete.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have it in him to drag himself back onto his feet. Alopex noted the smashed mind worm repellant gun in his belt which had not survived its collision with the ceiling. Damn. She'd need to find another way to free Karai.

It suddenly occurred to her that the Shredder was observing the battle with great focus and intensity. He was the one controlling Karai's mind. Would she be free if he were gone? This was her one and only chance to find out.

Sliding a kama from her hoodie pouch, she swiftly turned to open the side of his throat with it in a single rapid motion. But a blur of scales tackled her to the ground. Karai had her pinned and was hissing over her. What had they said? Anger could drive the worms out. Well, it was all she had left at this point. She hoped Karai could forgive her for this.

"I see you're finally the meek and obedient little pet that daddy always wanted. I bet you love that you don't have to be an utter failure anymore now that he's pulling all your strings. Can't disappoint him if you're his puppet, right?" Karai's eyes narrowed at her. Not good enough. She had to keep going.

"And yet, despite that, I'm the one who handed his enemies to him. You know, you're real family. They trusted me completely as I led your brothers to their doom. And your father trusts me still. We'll see what harm I can do with that."

Karai stilled like a statue, save for a slight tremor as her eyes flicked out across the battle, landing on Leo. So that's how it was. No choice. Karai wasn't angry enough yet. She'd have to cross that line.

"Too bad though. Gonna miss Leo. He was a lot of fun. So innocent and easy to seduce. Have to say I enjoyed the assignment. You should have seen the look in his eyes when I turned on him though. Poor kid thought it meant something."

Karai's green eyes snapped back to her and widened in unbridled rage. The next thing she knew it seemed like Karai was either choking or trying to vomit. Then she harfed up an enormous worm onto Alopex's chest before rolling off of her and clutching her head. Alopex, slashed the worm off of her with her kama, sending it flying into pieces before its remains splattered on the back wall. Karai looked at her uncertainly.

"Leo. You didn't." She shook her head.

"No. Just had to make you angry to set you free." Karai let out a relieved sigh. It was time to go. She pushed herself to her feet, expecting the Shredder to be on her any minute for her betrayal, but he was still intently watching the battle. Strange but not her problem. She had to get Karai out of here now.

Kama in one hand, she used the other to reach into her dwindling pouch and trigger the detonator. The C4 that she'd had her Footbot plant around the edges of the throne room, anticipating the Shredder's sense of theatrics, went off with a resounding boom.

Not waiting for anyone's reaction, she used the same hand to grasp her flashbangs and smoke bombs. With a series of precise throws, she hit the major, conscious enemies with the flash bangs and tossed several smoke bombs into the middle of the room, hoping Karai's family was skilled enough to make their escape with that.

Noting the Shredder was gone, she grabbed up Karai, threw her kama to crack the back window before slamming herself through it in a mess of shattered glass. Shaking the shards from her bloody fur, she threw Karai over her shoulder, climbed the nearest fire escape and fled from the cathedral, leaping from building to building, just to put as much distance as she could between them and the Shredder. If nothing else, she'd see her friend, her sister, free of that monster.

* * *

Venus's muscles quaked as she finally cleared the Footbots in her vicinity. She could sense the potential of the explosion before it hit and time seemed to slow as she drew on her chi, no longer bothering to be sparing with it. She'd probably pay for this later.

Scanning the room, she saw only one of her allies in danger from the blast. Donatello was pinned by Footbots against one of the walls radiating the energy. She moved at what must of looked like blinding speed to everyone else, to grab her rope dart from where she'd dropped it, wrap it snugly around her own wrist and swung it out to lash it around Donatello's ankle as she hit the robots holding him with some of her flying darts.

Then, using her chi to anchor her feet to the floor and flood her body with strength, she yanked him away from the wall, heedless of the injuries she caused in doing so, sending him sprawling towards Leo's prone form. But the rope dart wasn't that long and she'd used up all the time she had.

All she could do was reform her chi into a shield around her body like a second layer of skin as the explosion plowed into her. Whether it was the force of the blast or the over use of her life force, she felt her consciousness slip away with only fleeting glimpses of sharp blades and purple tassels.

* * *

Since the battle had begun, Saki had found himself inexplicably unable to focus on anything but the smaller new turtle in the group, dressed like a warrior monk from the continent. It felt almost as though there were a separate force within him that was fixated on her, brimming with hatred, demanding that he strike her down at once. Furious at the sense of manipulation, he had remained seated, though it took all of his willpower to do so.

But when the tide turned with Alopex's betrayal, one he would repay with interest, and the new turtle collapsed as the explosion struck her, his will snapped and he charged forward to filet her. His blades hit only glass, shattering it and dropping him into the water. By the time he climbed out, the turtles and their allies were gone. He glared balefully around the room. Someone was going to pay for this.

* * *

Donatello squirmed and twisted, struggling to free himself from the unyielding steel grip that pinned him to the wall. There was a blur of motion in front of him and suddenly a rope with a blade on the end was wrapped around his foot like a bola. The Footbots holding him released their grips and slid to the floor, with thin metal projectiles protruding from their heads.

Before he could react, each joint in his leg was screaming in pain as he was violently wrenched into the middle of the room. As he landed hard on the concrete, he could see Venus, eyes glowing blue with energy, being swallowed up in an explosion.

He was vaguely aware that the room was full of explosions, but he could only focus on this one. The one she'd saved him from. The force and heat destroyed most of her clothing, but seemed to leave her actual body untouched other than throwing her forward and away from its point of origin. Then the Shredder was coming for her.

He saw that her rope dart, still connecting his leg to her wrist, grabbed a hold of it and heaved her forward, just in time for the Shredder to miss his strike and crash through the glass into the water. Fast as he could, he reeled her in towards him and threw her onto his back.

Looking for an escape, he noted the windows behind the throne. This was going to hurt and he'd definitely be followed. Then he was enveloped in a smoke bomb. He'd examine the good fortune of that later as he sprinted towards the window, despite his protesting leg.

Launching two shruiken to weaken the glass, he plowed them both through it, breaking it with both their bodies. They were both going to need stitches later. Moaning, he forced himself to his feet and picked Venus up again, staggering forward. He knew that he had to get them out of here.

* * *

Raph had just yanked his sais free, when the Rocksteady brought the pommels of his weapons down hard on his shell, slamming him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. He saw Rocksteady raise the hammer to cave his head in and knew that he had to move, but his body wasn't responding properly yet.

And then a bullet knocked the weapon from his hand and with a scream of rage, forgetting his original target, he threw the sickle. Raph watched its trajectory and froze when he saw where it was going.

Lisa tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough. Well not fast enough to avoid it completely. Instead of impaling her center of mass, it embedded into her shoulder she dropped to one knee with a gasp of pain, barely managing to keep a hold of her guns.

Furious and flooded with adrenaline, Raph stabbed both his sais into Rocksteady's feet and launched himself up, plowing his knee deep into the rhino's groin. Rocksteady lurched forward and Raph grabbed the back of his head, slamming the side of his face into the concrete over and over until he stopped moving. Then he yanked his sais free and tucked them back into his belt.

Behind him, Lisa let out a mangled whimper as she pulled the sickle out of her shoulder. Panicked at the renewed flow of blood out of her, he quickly, yanked off his wrist wraps and bound her shoulder, hoping it was enough to buy her the time he needed to get her out of here. She smiled at him, though it looked more like a grimace.

"Not as bad as it looks." He had to admire her moxie. And then the room shook with explosions.

"We need to go." She nodded and they both caught sight of Leo, broken, bleeding and trying futilely to stand. Gripping Lisa's good wrist, he pulled her over and hoisted his brother onto his shell. What now? He saw Donnie, with Venus on his back, eyeing the window behind the throne. Good enough for him. Then everything disappeared in smoke.

Without waiting, he dragged Lisa towards the window. It was already broken. Donnie must have gotten here first. Good. Not giving Lisa chance to protest, he threw them through, trying his best not to snag them on the broken glass.

He clutched Lisa to his chest and grunted under Leo's weight as he landed. Once he'd completely absorbed the shock of the landing, he could see that Donnie was already staggering forward. Good idea. Time to get out of here.

* * *

He'd dealt with most of the Footbots, but Rahzar was angry and still going strong and Mikey was beginning to run short of energy. He totally should have eaten more before they left on this mission.

The only thing keeping him going at this point was Lily's promise to try and make spaghetti while they were gone. It would be waiting upon their return and he absolutely had to survive to try it. Maybe, if he could get to high ground, he could fill Rahzar with enough ninja stars to make him go away and bother someone else.

His steady commentary on his ex-best friend's sloppy fighting style wasn't doing it so far. Although it was making Rahzar angrier. Mikey was pretty sure he'd just said 'screw it' to the whole take them alive order. So ninja stars then.

He barely avoided being skewered as Rahzar embedded his claws into the concrete, leaping up into the air. He somersaulted forward, midair, landed on Rahzar's head and launched himself towards the rope dangling from Donnie's grappling hook.

He had just started to shimmy up it when a bunch of massive booms seemed to physically rock the room. Disoriented, he swung wildly on the rope, waiting for everything to stop going crazy. Then Rahzar was in front of him with a giant clawed hand drawn back ready to strike. This was going to hurt. A lot.

Suddenly a flashbang went off in his face causing him to stagger backwards. Score. Mikey didn't waste any time finishing scaling the rope and dashing out the hole they'd come in, running along the ledge to the corner of the building.

As he tried to calm his heart, banging violently in his chest, he had the sinking realization that he'd left everyone behind in the Shredder's lair. Oh no. He had to go back in and save them.

Then he saw Alopex, carrying Karai to the top of a nearby building at the back of the cathedral. He ran towards them along the ledge, calling for help. He'd made it almost to the end of the building when he remembered that Alopex wasn't there friend. She worked for the Shredder and she had Karai. So why was she Alopex running away with her? That was a question for Donnie or Leo.

Donnie and Leo! Oh no. He had to go back for them. A very Raph-like grunt caused him to look down and too his immense relief, he saw his family on the ground behind the cathedral, safe…ish.

"Hey dudes!" They looked up at him. He pointed.

"Alopex has Karai. Should we go after them?"

* * *

When she felt that she'd managed a safe distance, Alopex set Karai down and gave them both a few minutes to catch their breath. Although Karai needed it more to collect herself. Between becoming a mutant and the mental domination, she'd had a rough time of it recently.

Alopex watched her closely to make sure everything was ok. Perhaps she was worried about her family? Alopex had given them the best chance she could after putting them in that situation, but if Karai wanted her to go back for them she would. She might anyway, though they wouldn't thank her for it. Surprisingly, she'd grown to admire them…like Umeko.

"I'm sure they got out fine. I prepared a great distraction and they are experienced and well trained." Karai abruptly stood up, spun around and slapped her across the face, leaving her stunned.

"That's for my family." She supposed she deserve that. Then Karai pulled her into a rare hug.

"And that's for saving me." They stayed like that for a while and Alopex realized how much she had missed Karai these past few years. They'd been each other's only friends and companions during their time in the Shredder's organization. Karai's voice was unusually soft when she spoke.

"I'm sorry I stopped you from killing him."

"Me too. But the important thing is that I freed you and took you out of there. That's what matters. It will be harder to kill him now that he knows I'm after him, but I'll find a way somehow." Karai released her and looked her in the eye.

"Not that I'm telling you what to do, but you might want to let it go and just live your life. I couldn't do that and screwed myself and my family by pursuing my vengeance. Vengeance is his thing and I don't want to be like him. Not anymore."

Alopex considered her words. If Karai could be at peace with what he done to her, maybe she could too. Killing the Shredder wouldn't bring her home and family back or undo the things she'd done while he was using her.

Trying to kill him had already put innocents, Karai's own family, in danger. Perhaps she should let it go and instead try to make up for what she'd done while in the Foot clan. It wouldn't set things right, but it would be doing something worthwhile. Something meaningful.

It would give her a purpose that might not get her and everyone around her killed. Yes, that would be her life from now on. She nodded and Karai gave her a relieved smile.

"Good. Now let's go back for my family."

"Yes. I promise I'll get all of them out of this."

"Ahem." They both froze and turned slowly to see they weren't alone on the roof. Mikey's eyes glittered with affection as he watched them, holding an unconscious Venus as Donnie leaned on him for support, heavily favoring his uninjured leg. Leo and Lisa were leaning heavily on Raph but also observing. Alopex suddenly felt guilty and self-conscious.

"So how long have you been…?"

"Enjoying the Kodak moment? Since just before she smacked you. You two are a-dora-ble!" Mikey grinned widely as he spoke.

"You all came to help me?" Karai's voice broke a little as she spoke.

"Of course! You're our sis! We gotta look out for you." Mikey's cheer was contagious and even Alopex felt her tension loosening. Karai would be fine with them. They obviously loved her. This was where she belonged. Karai went up to Leo and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"I'm not very good at saying thanks." He gave her a small smile.

"And?" She smiled back.

"That's it." They both chuckled a bit, though no one else seemed to get it. He laid his hand over hers.

"Let's go home." She nodded and they started moving towards the fire escape, preferring a ground route with all their injured members. Alopex sadly watched them go, wondering where she should head off to now. Leo glanced back at her.

"Alopex are you coming?" With a gasp of surprise, she felt an involuntary smile light up her face. Karai gestured for her to join, and happier than she could recall feeling, she followed.


	120. Chapter 118: Vendetta VI

**Vendetta VI:**

Amaya glared at Saki as he berated Tiger Claw and Bradford, his two remaining conscious minions. It wasn't their fault. It was Saki's. It was his minion who had tricked and betrayed them. And he just sat on that stupid throne as everything fell apart. When he did decide to move his bladed ass, he went for a turtle who didn't even matter.

After the trouble she'd went through to catch the purple turtle for Karai, he'd still managed to screw this up. When he'd notified her of the ambush and to tell her that his scientists had helped Karai regain her sentience, she thought things might finally be right again between them.

But he hadn't even moved when Alopex attacked, allowing his child to endanger herself to protect him, after everything Karai had been through. Somehow that cunning fox had turned the tables on her niece while she'd been distracted by Stockman's toys that the turtle had turned against her.

All she knew was that she'd looked back over at them in time to see Alopex looming over Karai's limp form before the flashbang went off in her face and the room was engulfed in smoke. Then they were gone. With her niece.

That was it! She was done with Saki. She had the location of the turtle lair. She'd go and save Karai herself, although she'd have to redo her plans now that she was cutting him out of them.

Then she and Karai would leave all of this and forget about the Shredder and the Foot clan, Splinter and the turtles. Vengeance wasn't worth the safety of her precious niece. After all this, she'd never leave the girl's side again.


	121. Chapter 119: Brotherhood XIII

**Brotherhood XIII:**

Lily listened in quiet astonishment as Mikey inhaled his third bowl of spaghetti. Raph had politely declined more after the first bowl and no one else felt up to eating. She knew it was awful.

Although she'd taken to keeping Mikey company in the kitchen, she'd never actually cooked all by herself before. She'd never had to. In fact she wouldn't have been allowed even if she'd wanted to.

Then they'd gone on this dangerous mission, one of many that seemed to be the life they lived, and she was sick of sitting in the lair worrying and feeling useless. So she decided that she'd make them a big meal, all by herself, to welcome them home safe and sound.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she really should have swallowed her pride and asked Master Splinter to help. She hadn't realized that not all the noodles were submerged when she put them in the pot, so they were hard and chunky in random places.

Then the can she opened turned out to be marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce, but it wasn't like she could seal it back up again. It seemed wrong to waste it since she knew that they couldn't just go to the grocery store and buy more even if their total income didn't consist of what money they found dropped down sewer grates.

And too late she realized that there was nothing to make meatballs with, so she'd tried plucking pepperoni off some of the leftover pizza in the fridge that had come from the second round of ordering which the family usually called for after Mikey went to sleep. She'd tried balling them up and putting them in but it didn't go so well.

Finally, the only cheese in the fridge were the cheesicles that Master Splinter kept with Ice Cream Kitty and after all the effort of struggling to grate the frozen cheese over of the spaghetti, she realized that whatever type of cheese it was just tasted wrong with the meal.

Then everyone had come home so injured and banged up that they all headed straight to Donnie's lab for triage with Raph and Mikey being the only ones healthy enough to help Donnie patch up the rest. By the time she could offer anyone food, it had become cold and congealed.

So no, she didn't blame Raph at all, though one bowl couldn't possibly have been filling for him. That he'd managed to choke it down at all for the sake of her feelings was touching enough. She'd just squirted some honey on toast for her own dinner, unable to stomach her creation.

But somehow, Mikey was eating it with enthusiasm. He finished, let out a loud, lengthy burp and announced he was getting more. She couldn't help but laugh and took another bite of her toast. Mikey and his iron stomach.

* * *

Mikey landed back on the couch with a loud whump that bounced Lily up with a startled cry. Instead of smacking him as any of his brothers would have done, she just laughed and enjoyed the ride. Lily was fun like that.

He began to gobble up another bowl of her a-maze-ing spaghetti. This original recipe of her was the bomb. Slurpy noodles with the just the right amount of crunch. The pepperoni and marinara had to have been some divine inspiration. Sensei's cheese gave it some bite. And it was cold like 'found under the bed pizza' one of his top ten favorite types.

It was like she could read his mind. And she thought she couldn't cook. The perfect reward for all the gross doctor stuff he had to help Donnie with even though he'd been tired and hungry when they'd gotten home.

Not that he minded helping. He loved taking care of his family. Just usually with less stitches, shots and angry yelps of pain. But Lily had totally turned his mood around. She was smiling and shaking her head.

"I have no idea how you can eat that. It's awful."

"Only if by awful you mean stupendimous." She giggled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure that's not a real word, but thanks anyway." He smiled. This was nice. It kind of made him feel special that he was the only one she felt comfortable touching much, even after all this time. She breathed in through her nose and suddenly he felt a little self-conscious, recalling how Murakami-san had been able to identify them as turtles despite being blind.

"Uh, sorry 'bout the smell. I can take a shower. I'm probably extra, extra turtle scented after all the fighting and running around." She shook her head.

"I don't mind. It's sort of the smell I identify with you." Mikey groaned. Great. He was the stinkiest of his brothers if she really thought that.

"I mean, you all kind of have a reptile scent to you."

"Reptile scent?" She flushed.

"I remember going to the zoo once and it's kind of the same smell as when they took me to the reptile house. You all have it a little bit, well Don less so, but it's not overpowering." Mikey snickered.

"Yeah, Donnie got really attentive to personal hygiene after we met April."

"But beyond that, you each have a unique overall scent to you."

"Really?"

"Yup. I know Don's around when I smell oil, electrical ozone and this kind of acrid chemical odor. I suppose he smells sciencey to me. And Leo smells like blade oil and incense. It took me a while to identify those. Raph kind of smells like blood, old leather and whatever it is you stuff the punching bag with." Mikey laughed out loud.

"Yeah, that's totally them. So what do I smell like?" She grinned.

"Pizza and sugar..." She turned a bit pink. "…and happiness."

"Wow. I didn't know happiness had a smell."

"Neither did I until I met you." He sniffed the air around her.

"Well you smell like honey."

"That's probably my dinner you're smelling."

"Hmm, since you smell like honey and you're sweet like honey that should totally be my secret nickname for you."

"Secret nickname?" "You know, like how Lisa calls you Water Lily. I want to have special name for you too." She blushed, but didn't stop smiling.

"Ok, sure. I like that."

"Awesome. Then I'm gonna get some more stupendimous Honey spaghetti."

* * *

Raph dropped the bowl in the sink and doused it in soap and water as though he were exercising an evil spirit. Lily is Lisa's cousin. You will NOT barf up the dinner she made. He kept repeating it to himself like a mantra as his stomach roiled, but hearing Mikey down bowl after bowl wasn't helping.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't just spent an hour pinning Leo down so that Donnie and Sensei could stitch up the deep gashes in his arms. Just thinking about the cracks in his shell that Donnie had to disinfect and repair with wire stitches was making his stomach do flip flops without the help of Lily's culinary disaster His brother would be stuck in that fiberglass cast Donnie had epoxied to his shell for a good long while.

At the time he'd thought that Karai should have been helping, but she was taking care of Lisa. When he realized that he couldn't stand seeing her wound at all, he forgave Karai a little. Even after it was stitched up and bandaged, he had a hard time looking at it.

Probably because he'd been right there when it happened and couldn't do thing to stop it. What good was being strong if he couldn't protect her? He didn't like feeling guilty and remorseful, so he made a concerted effort to avoid looking at her injury or the pain it caused her when she moved.

He'd beat the feelings out of his punching bag, but tonight he was spent. He stumbled off to his room to collapse asleep and hope that moment didn't keep replaying itself in his dreams.

* * *

Lisa snuggled into the bean bag chair closest to the turnstiles. She chose it because it smelled like Raph and there was something comforting about curling up in that with the quiet stillness of the empty lair.

After the particularly exhausting previous night, she wasn't surprised that no one else was up early this morning. She probably wouldn't be if her shoulder wasn't killing her. She should probably ask Donnie for some pain killer, but didn't want to wake him.

After the battle, though clearly ready to drop, he'd hobbled around on his crutch putting them all back together again. He deserved his rest. She could wait until he naturally woke up.

Stupid injury. If only she'd been faster, she could've dodged it. The rhino man had certainly telegraphed the attack enough to give her warning, but she was too slow.

And now Raph cringed and looked away every time his eyes accidentally fell on her. As though she needed to give him another reminder that she was the weak link in the chain. He hadn't even wanted to bring her, but she insisted and then got herself skewered.

A really impressive showing on her part. How could she possibly expect him to respect that? And of course this would mean a halt to most of her martial arts training until she healed some. Stupid rhino man. Stupid sickle. What was she going to do now?

She noticed a stack of old martial arts magazines next to the bean bag chair and began flipping through them. They were surprisingly informative with lots of helpful tips and suggestions for when she could resume her training.

"Better be careful with those." She almost leapt to her feet out of the chair at the sound of Mikey's voice and barely refrained from sending the magazine flying as burning pain lanced through her shoulder. Mikey cringed.

"Sorry for startling you. I was getting ready to make breakfast and I saw you with Raph's magazines." Raph's? Well who else's would they be next to this chair?

"Yeah, he says their vinnech or something, which I think is just a fancy way of saying old."

"Vintage?"

"Yeah, what I said. Anyway it took him six years to collect them and he almost killed me when I got moldy pizza grease all over one. I mean geez. It's just some old magazine. Don't see what the big deal is right? Anyway you've been warned." She nodded at his unusually serious expression before he broke back into his usual Mikey smile and bounded towards the kitchen.

Hmm, so Raph had spent a long time collecting these? They were in really good condition, considering he couldn't go out and buy them. They must really matter to him. And Mikey had ruined one.

An idea formed in her mind on how she might get back into Raph's good graces. Carefully, flipping through the stack, she identified the date of the missing magazine. Now all she had to do was find Lily and borrow Donnie's laptop.

* * *

Donnie sat at his computer desk with his leg wrapped and elevated to reduce the swelling. His crutch was in easy reach. It was nice to have his lab back.

After spending almost two hours stitching up Leo and Lisa, bandaging them and preventively injecting them with his home grown penicillin, he'd had to run a check on Karai and Venus's vitals to make sure nothing was seriously wrong with either of them.

Then he'd still had to address his own leg injury while Sensei had helped everyone to their rooms. Alopex and Karai had helped Sensei assemble the room they were going to share, next to Venus's and since Venus was still unconscious, Sensei had been forced to carry her to his room.

Raph had already passed out, but Lily provided support for Lisa back to the room they shared and Mikey had helped Leo to his room before passing out himself. Of course no one had come back to help him, the only one who couldn't actually walk. Oh well. There were cots to pass out on in the lab and he hadn't had worry about limping around the lair to come back here upon waking.

He needed to go through the files he'd stolen, to see the exact mutagen formulae that Stockman had used. Then maybe he'd be able to generate a retro-mutagen that would work on Karai, Lisa and Alopex, assuming anything that Alopex had told them was true at all.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about Leo inviting her back home, but she had made some effort to help them escape after betraying them like a crazy triple agent. And she had almost killed the Shredder. And she'd saved Karai and had been willing to go back for them.

But if she'd just been honest from the start, they could have come up with a much better plan and maybe none of them would be as hurt as they were. Huffing in annoyance, he decided to just trust in Leo's judgment.

Last time he'd seriously questioned his brother, his leader, was during the invasion and Leo had almost died as a result. He'd promised himself he'd have more faith in him in the future and he meant it. So he would let his misgivings go. But he still wanted a full accounting of things and the actual truth from the devious little spy. It didn't seem like too much to ask.

He had a program decrypting the files, but there were a lot and Stockman wasn't completely useless. This would take a while. Keeping his hands busy, he realized he'd begun sewing some spare leather together. Another spare belt in case one of them lost theirs or had it destroyed in battle.

There was a small forge in the corner of the lab, mostly for repairs and making projectiles like their shruiken, but he also kept materials to make spare pads, belts and harnesses. They took special care not to lose or irreparably damage their weapons, except for him as the constructing a spare bo with a retractable naginata blade was actually a mind numbingly simple task.

And building Mikey a new set of nunchaku wouldn't be too taxing. In fact he was going to have to get started on making him a new kusari-gama when it didn't hurt to stand for an extended period.

But replacing Raph's sais or Leo's katanas when they finally ran out of all the spares Sensei brought from Japan might be a problem. He could make them in theory, but without any of them being a trained weapon smith, he wasn't exactly confident in the quality he could produce. A problem for future Donatello. Right now present Donatello had a belt to make, not that anyone needed it at the moment.

At the end of his desk sat the folded remaining scraps of Venus's clothing with her rope dart and butterfly swords carefully placed on top. Leg injury or not, she had saved him last night at no small expense to herself. Her power was really something and he found himself itching to understand it.

Well, there was something he could do to thank her. Even if she managed to make new clothes, a belt designed specifically to hold her weapons would be useful. Smiling, he returned to his work with renewed purpose.

* * *

Venus groaned and sat up, head pounding. How long had she been out this time? She really needed to stop overexerting her chi like this. It was really dangerous. But it had been an emergency. There seemed to be a lot of serious emergencies with her new family. She wasn't sure that boded well for her, but she wouldn't trade them for anything.

On the small box that served as her end table was a cup of water and a couple of aspirin and just past was a pile of fabric with a note on top that said 'Thank You' in Donatello's tidy scrawl. She still had a lot of trouble with written English, but she knew that much.

Feeling surge of gratitude towards him, she downed the aspirin. Examining the fabric, she realized that it was the ruined remains of her clothing. There would be no salvaging that. What was she going to do now?

But there was something underneath it. A belt like the boys wore, with custom pouches and holder designed specifically for her weapons which were neatly tucked inside. He'd made this for her. It was touching. Well, maybe she didn't need clothes. What had he said? Turtles had natural clothing. Would it be so bad to dress like them?

Tying the belt on, she tried not to feel self-conscious as she slipped out of her room and hurried to the dojo to speak to Master Splinter. Mikey was in the kitchen making something and Lily and Lisa were on the couch with April's laptop that she'd left here for Donnie to fix. They didn't notice her.

The dojo was empty. She was about to knock on Master Splinter's door, when it slid open and she found herself face to face with Karai with Master Splinter's ghost woman resting a hand on her shoulder. Karai eyed her state of undress with a raised brow and a smirk. Despite actually feeling embarrassed, Venus refused to allow it to show. She wanted the respect of Leonardo's sister.

"I thought I'd try a new look." Karai gave her a fangy smile.

"It works for them." Then she was gone with stunning speed. Composing herself, Venus knocked on the side of the now open door.

"Master Splinter. May I speak with you?"

"Yes. Come in Venus." He was seated on a mat near his emergency cheese phone. She wasn't sure where to begin. He took in the sight of her, stood up and rummaged through some boxes in the corner, before finding what he was looking for. Then he presented it to her. It was full of knee and elbow pads of varying sizes.

"These are the ones that have survived my sons outgrowing them." She breathed a sigh of relief that he seemed to understand what she wanted. After looking through the collection a bit, she managed to find a set that she thought would fit her.

When she looked up again, he had another box, one that he held with a sense of reverence. Venus could see the apparition of the woman standing beside him. He pulled the box of pads away and set this one down in front of her. It held some good quality old books and crafting supplies.

"These belonged to my beloved Tang Shen." The ghost beside him smiled and Venus realized that's who the spirit was. She wondered if she should tell him. He gestured to one corner full of colorful cloth streamers.

"These my sons wear as masks. I would be honored if you would select one for yourself." Her vision blurred with tears as she grasped the true value of what he offered. She had been missing her father fiercely. It would be wonderful to be cherished like that again.

"Thank you." One particular streamer caught her eye. It was blue, a color she was already inclined towards, but light like a shallow tropical ocean. She withdrew it and found it to be very long. She smiled at him.

"I promise, I won't disappoint you." He shook his head.

"That was never a worry my child."

"Thank you again." She stood, bowed and left, buoyed by a sense of joy and belonging. The composition of people in the main area hadn't changed and weren't any more inclined to pay her any more mind than they had earlier.

Once safely back in her room, she slipped on the knee and elbow pads. She then used the scraps of her old clothing to make black hand, wrist and foot wraps. Holding the middle of the streamer across her face and used her map pencil to mark her eye position. A few slashes with one her blades gave her eye holes. She then tied it around her head and took inventory of herself.

Well she looked like one of them, but the mask tassels were way too long, almost to the back of her knees. That would be in the way. Hmm, though securely attached, she could remove and replace the mask without untying it. She began tying the tassels into a series of tight nots until it only came down to above the top of her belt. That was better.

It kind of looked like a braid now and she smiled. It reminded her of a queue, the hairstyle worn by her countrymen until the fall of the last emperor in the twentieth century. It seemed right to have something of her own identity in this new adopted look.

It was a male hairstyle, but she'd been raised as a boy. Her father knew nothing about raising girls and there had been no women to consult at the monastery, so he'd raised her the only way he knew how.

Thinking about her father, reminded her of something else, she went to her bag and pulled out the patch kit that she'd brought to repair her clothing. Among the sewing supplies were two large yin yang patches that he father had once made for her.

She'd never used them as it was generally simpler and less conspicuous to directly sew up damage to her clothing, but she always carried them with as they reminded her of him. She sewed them to two more strips of her old clothing and tied one around her right bicep and the other around her left thigh. There. Now she was bringing her past with her as she moved forward into something new.

For the first time, she didn't feel exposed in her state of undress. This felt right. Smiling, she gathered up her maps and luopan and headed to Donatello's lab. It was time to employ some science to her quest. She could hear him talking to someone as she entered.

"He used his retro-mutagen formula in Karai's mutagen. I mean it wouldn't really work without April's DNA, but it's very close to my own formula. I think that's why she can shift between snake and humanoid form. The problem is that it's like he vaccinated her against retro-mutagen. I don't think I can change her back."

She pushed the door further open and saw Donatello, sitting in his computer chair, facing a crestfallen Leonardo seated on a cot. She realized that he just learned his sister would never be human again.

The squeak of the door, as she opened it, alerted them to her presence. They looked up at her with twin expressions of stunned appreciation before quickly covering it up with more appropriate miens. She smiled internally. Yes, she was very pleased with her new look. Donatello sat more upright.

"Hey Venus. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. I just expended too much of my energy. It's a useful technique, but can be a double edged sword if used injudiciously." They both nodded.

"Thank you for the belt by the way." He gave her a gap toothed grin.

"Glad you like it."

"Yes, it inspired me to try a new style, especially since there was no salvaging my own clothes."

"Well it definitely works for you." Leonardo chuckled and Donatello blushed when he realized how that sounded.

"No, I...I just meant that it looks good on all of us. You know, turtle style." She nodded.

"Yes. It's much more practical too." Leonardo cringed as he tried to stand and Venus moved in to help him, minding the thick bandages on his arms and his injured shell. Donatello eyed Leonardo carefully.

"No training until I give you the ok." Leonardo narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm the leader."

"And I'm the physician. I overrule you in medical matters. You need to rest for your body to heal." Leonardo sighed but gave in, before an idea struck him.

"Venus, if you don't mind, I'd like to work on some spirit training with you later." He shot a challenging glance at Donatello who just sighed.

"As long as you're resting your body and not reinjuring it." Leonardo nodded. She was jumping up and down and clapping inside, though outwardly she still appeared reserved and serious.

"Of course. Let me know when you want to get started." He smiled and she melted a bit, hoping desperately that it didn't snow in her face. The smile faded into a frown.

"I'll break the news to her." Donatello nodded and Leonardo moved gingerly out of the lab. Then Donatello turned his full attention back to Venus and the luopan and papers in her hands.

"I could really use your help in my quest if you have some time." He gave her another gap toothed smile.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Karai lay back down on her futon mat, feeling more at peace than she'd had in a long time. When they'd arrived last night, she'd only had time to give her startled father a quick hug that he readily returned. It was strange to have such an affectionate parent.

"I'm so sorry father."

"There is nothing to forgive Miwa." And then they had to go and help Donatello with the injured. Especially since he could barely walk. This morning she'd had a chance for her first real conversation with her father. The one she should have had before, when she'd made the mistake of asking about her mother's death. That wasn't even what she wanted to know.

She wanted to hear about her mother's life, to know who she had been. Unlike the Shredder, her father spared no detail as she laid out her tentative questions. When he spoke of her mother, the memory of her seemed to animate a life in him she hadn't seen before. And she hugged that knowledge tight around her like a comforting blanket.

It had been tempting to spend the whole day in there learning. She wanted to know the way someone dying of thirst in the desert desired water, but there was time. This was her home and her life now and she could savor each new detail, knowing that more would always be forthcoming.

On her futon across from her Alopex lay, flipping a kama into the air and catching it. Her friend had been unusually subdued and quiet since returning, refusing to leave the room unless absolutely necessary.

Karai understood. It felt strange to face everyone after her own big screw up, but they'd shown her through repeated word and action that she was forgiven and still loved. Alopex would understand that too, in time.

There was a knock at the door, careful enough not to dislodge the delicate and unstable walls, so it wasn't Mikey or Raph. She slid open the door and saw a contrite looking Leo on the other side. Uh oh, what was wrong now?

"Uh, hi Karai. Could I speak with you a minute?"

"Sure." She gestured to him to come inside. He did and glanced over at Alopex who was on her feet in an instant.

"I'm going to stretch out in the dojo." And then she was gone, leaving them rather awkwardly alone. Karai wasn't sure whether she was grateful to Alopex for giving them some privacy or annoyed that she'd abandoned her.

Leo swayed a bit, still badly injured and she helped seat him on her futon, plopping down lightly next to him. He appeared to be struggling with where to start. She decided to help him get going.

"So what's up?"

"I've got some bad news."

"I thought as much. So what is it?"

"Donnie says that since Stockman mixed some of his attempt at retro-mutagen into the custom mutagen you were changed with that you can't be changed back to human. I'm so sorry Karai."

She sat stunned for a moment. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but that wasn't it. He looked like he was expecting her to break down. Was she upset? She thought about it and decided that she wasn't.

Since regaining her mind and self-control, she hadn't given any thought to restoring her humanity. The problem had been her instinct to eat her father and harm her new brothers and Leo. With that under control, everything was fine.

In fact, since she'd been practicing with it, she found her mutant body to be much more versatile and powerful than her old human one and she hadn't turned out grotesque like Bradford, Xever or Stockman. Besides, she kind of felt like she fit in this way.

"That's ok Leo." He just gaped at her.

"No, I mean it. I'd like to stay this way."

"But…"

"Now that I have control over the serpent instincts and know that I won't hurt you or anyone else I care about, it's fine." He blushed a bit.

"Better than fine. I'm so much more useful now and I still haven't mastered everything I can do. Besides, my whole family is made up of mutants. Why would I want to be any different? I belong now. Here. With you."

She realized that as she'd been speaking, she was leaning in closer and closer to him. He looked like a terrified but hopeful deer in headlights. The venom! At the last second, she veered away from the kiss, cringing at the disappointment he quickly covered with his usual stoicism. She would never hurt him again.

* * *

Leo sat stock still, unable to move. Her gaze was so intense. She was so close, he didn't dare breathe. Was this it? Was this going to be his first kiss? His heart beat wildly in his chest and blood roared in his ears. Then she suddenly seemed to become aware of what she was doing and turned away.

He felt all his hopes crumble and turn to ash. Of course. She was his sister now. He had to stop thinking of her that way. It was wrong. Sighing, she stood up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Unfortunately there are still some things that I need to work on controlling." She frowned.

"I can't seem to keep the venom out of my saliva. It tastes awful." Oh. Was that why?

"I should probably talk to the genius about making some anti-venom, just in case anyone gets poisoned." She put a lot of emphasis on the word anyone while looking intently at him and he felt himself turn bright red. Finally finding his voice, he spoke.

"Y-yeah. That sounds like a good idea." There was an awkward, silent moment between them, broken by the sound of Raph assaulting the punching bag in the main room. He smiled.

"I suppose everyone is up and about now." She nodded looking serious again. She was giving something a lot of thought.

"If everyone is up, then we should talk to Alopex."

"What?"

"Everyone needs to know exactly what she did and why. The sooner the better or her staying her will become more and more of a strain on everyone. We need to deal with it." There was wisdom in her words. He nodded.

"You're right. She said she'd be in the dojo? Let's collect everyone and meet her there."

* * *

Alopex sat waiting in the deafening silence for everyone's reaction. She'd never been much of one for regret, but if she had been this would have been the time. On some level, she'd known that she would have to explain herself, but she hadn't been prepared at all when they'd descended on her in the dojo.

And now they knew everything, starting from discovering what the Shredder had done to her home, obviously with the necessary backstory of her own mutation and 'rescue' to put that into context, up through the execution of her plan to save Karai.

The looks on everyone's faces when she'd stated her original plan to use them to kill the Shredder had been devastating, but she was determined not to lie to them anymore. Besides, since she'd truly intended to do it at the time, she deserved whatever consequences came of it.

She did keep some details to herself, such as her conversations with Lisa, merely generalizing that they'd went out together and she'd worked to earn the lizard girl's trust. It seemed less a lie and more respecting a confidence.

She knew why Karai had pushed for this. She needed to clear the air if she wanted a fresh start, but some things could not be forgiven. All her story had done was clarify how they were good and she was not, how she didn't belong with them. They were too honorable for her.

And still no one said a word. The urge to flee their scrutiny was intense. Feeling like she was suffocating, she abruptly stood up and darted out of the dojo, only to find a massive mutant turtle coming through the turnstiles.

He moved to help someone behind him and she thought her heart would stop. This couldn't be happening. Maybe karma was real and she was getting what she'd earned. Of all people she couldn't face, and there were many, why did it have to be her. Her voice came out as a strangled whisper.

"Umeko."


	122. Chapter 120: To Trust VII

**To Trust VII:**

Ninjara followed Slash through the sewer tunnels wondering for the hundredth time how he could trust her. At least she knew his name now and he had something to call her.

After that first night when she'd tried to use him to kill her and then cried herself dry in his arms, she'd been so embarrassed, she'd fled and he'd let her go. But she'd leave, night after night, seeking him out and slowly, piece by piece, she'd revealed her tragic story to him, trying to make him understand why she was so dangerous to him and his friends.

Except maybe she was really dangerous to the people she'd been sworn to protect. When she'd been summoned to the ambush that the Shredder had planned for the turtles, she'd chosen to flee instead, searching for Slash with a mad determination.

Despite the risks, she'd had to warn him so that he could save his friends, his family as she'd learned over the past few weeks as he'd shared his own tale in exchange. It took her longer than she would have liked to find him, for the Shredder hadn't given her much notice.

Slash hadn't revealed the Mutanimal lair to her, and rightly so as she was his enemy, but she'd managed to narrow it down based on all her encounters with him and it was his pigeon friend who had discovered her.

As expected, his companions were none too pleased by his secret association with her, but he had refused to be ashamed of it or apologize for it. She respected that more than she would likely ever admit.

There'd been some debate over her honesty when she'd warned them about the ambush. Dr. Rockwell believed that she'd set a trap for them until she'd allowed him to rummage through her mind for the truth. Slash had been furious, wanting to trust in her word alone, but there was too much at stake to leave his friends in doubt, no matter how violating the experience had been.

But the battle was over by the time they arrived with the turtles having just escaped, not unharmed, but at least alive. That was about when she'd realized that she may have sacrificed her people without cause and broken down. It was a humiliating display of weakness for one who had been taught to pride herself on self-control, but she had nothing left to protect. Not her people. Not her honor. Not even her enemy friends.

Then Slash had sent his companions home and sat with her through the night straight through until morning. His presence was comforting, but she'd felt so hollow. Was there any point in returning to the Shredder now? Had he already killed them? Perhaps all that remained was an honorable end.

She'd pulled a dagger from her belt and stared at it considering how seppuku would work without someone to behead her. Asking Slash felt wrong after all he'd already done for her. It would hurt. A lot. A very unpleasant way to die, but maybe she deserved it. Then he had put his large hand over hers and the dagger, pushing it down and she'd seen in his pale green eyes that he knew what she'd been thinking.

"No. We don't know that anyone is dead yet and until we do, we are going to do everything we can to save them." We? For the first time in months, she felt hope blossom in the miasma of self-loathing and despair that had become her existence.

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but I know some friends who can help me figure it out." At that point, she realized that they'd been sitting exposed on a rooftop well into the day. After all that had happened, she didn't think the walls she'd put up would ever be breached, but she trusted him, wholly and completely.

"Thank you."

And so here she was under the city. At least they weren't exposed to the humans anymore, although the smell burned her sensitive nose. It didn't really matter where he was taking her. She trusted him.

Then they mercifully veered out of the sewer tunnels and into an old subway track. It wasn't long before they came to a station and he helped her up onto the ledge and over the turnstiles. It wasn't necessary but she appreciated the gesture.

Then he had stepped aside and time slowed to a crawl as she took in the sight of who had been standing beyond him. It couldn't be. Here? How could this be the friend Slash was bringing her to? How? Her voice sounded alien to her when she spoke, as though it was some other person using her body to talk.

"Alopex." Slash jerked beside her, evidently recognizing the name from her history, but not connecting it to the person until this moment. Her mind could deal with that later. Right now, all her focus was on this moment as though she had tunnel vision.

Acting of its own volition, her body drew her katana and charged forward. Alopex made no move to dodge or defend. She just closed her golden eyes and waited. Ninjara's sword swung in a fluid graceful arc as she arrived at the source of her ruination, on track to lop off Alopex's head when a snake girl appeared in between, deflecting the strike with a shikomizue jujiken.

While the smaller blade couldn't fully block the strike it was effective enough to redirect Ninjara's swing as the snake girl kicked Alopex out of the way. Before she could attack again, Slash had picked her up from behind in a bear hug while the ninja turtles ran to the snake girl's aid. Alopex was an ally of the turtles? No? It couldn't be. She was evil and a liar.

"What the shell Slash!" The red turtle, Raphael, was speaking.

"I thought I'd come here lookin' for help! I didn't think you'd be consortin' with the enemy."

"What?" Two sets of green eyes narrowed at each other and Slash, shifting to keep her held with one arm, pointed at Alopex.

"Do you know what she is, what she's done?" Raphael switched his baleful gaze to Alopex, taking Slash's word that somehow she was at fault.

"Apparently not everything. Care to explain this?" Alopex hung her head.

"Don't defend me. She has every right." What? This wasn't the Alopex she remembered. She sagged in Slash's arm. Sensing it, he released his restraint, offering only support now. Alopex sighed, looking defeated.

"My last mission with the Foot, before I found out what they did, what they were. Kitsune wanted to conquer some remote island and sent me in as a double agent."

"Kitsune?" The blue one, Leonardo, started to cross his arms as he spoke, but thought better of it as the motion was obviously excruciating with his injuries.

"The Shredder's creepy advisor." Snake girl answered. She wasn't wrong, but she was surprisingly well informed. Alopex continued, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, especially hers.

"The island was protected by an impenetrable mist, created by the power of a sea goddess." The girl turtle gasped in awe while the purple one, Donatello, snorted in disbelief.

"They made it look like I washed up on shore by accident and I spent years earning her trust until she showed me the shrine of the sea goddess. I betrayed her, destroyed the shrine and handed her and her people over to the Foot." Slash let out a rumbling growl, but she knew he wouldn't leave her to collapse.

Alopex's contrition was throwing her. It had to be an act. She'd been fooled before. It couldn't be true. Alopex was a liar, even if she had admitted to what she'd done. What else could she do when confronted this way? Most of them were just stunned, but Raphael was quaking with rage.

"Seriously? I don't care if she is Karai's best friend. After everything she's done to us and now to Slash's friend, we're just gonna let her stay here? Leo you can't be serious. Sensei, tell him this isn't right!" The orange turtle, Michelangelo, stepped forward cautiously.

"Well she is sorry and she's trying to do better now, right."

"Shut up Mikey! How can you forgive her?"

"She's sorry. Like Slash was. Everyone deserves a second chance." His voice was quiet and sincere but echoed through the subway station. Ninjara remembered what Slash had told her about his mutation and what Shredder had done to him with the mind control.

His family had forgiven all of it. And the core of that forgiveness seemed to have its heart in Mikey. Could she be like that? It took more courage than she would have guessed. Slash was deserving of his second chance and they'd given it to him. Was Alopex so deserving?

She'd obviously wronged the turtles too, but Mikey had given her the same chance he'd offered Slash. She wanted to be that brave and strong too. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she released her hatred and sheathed her sword. Alopex stared at her, astounded.

"Umeko?"

"No. Until my people and I are free of the Foot clan, I am not worthy of that name. Until then, I am Ninjara." Alopex cringed.

"They took everyone?" Ninjara nodded.

"And are holding their lives hostage to make me serve them."

"Ume…Ninjara, I'm so sorry." Alopex appeared to mean it, but it still made her angry.

"Sorry doesn't make it right. I may have already condemned them by refusing to participate in the ambush and warning Slash about it." Alopex reacted as though she'd been slapped and suddenly Ninjara knew who to thank for the Shredder's trap.

"Slash?" Raph looked back towards them in confusion. Slash shook his head sadly.

"She didn't have a lot of time to warn us and by the time the Mutanimals and I got there, you were already out and leaving. Sorry we were late." Raph gave him a lopsided smirk.

"Ah, we had it covered." Mikey was bouncing.

"Aww, Leatherhead came to help?"

"Where were they being held?" Alopex broke through the bromance moment.

"What?"

"The Shredder has other concerns at the moment, so I doubt he's acted on your absence yet. He'll be too busy seeking to get Karai back and trying to punish me for the attempt on his life. They are probably alive. Please let me help you save them. I can do that at least." She was afraid to trust Alopex again, but if there was any hope at all for her people, she had to try.

"We were in a holding facility on Hokkaido." Alopex nodded.

"I know it. I can give you its location and maps of the interior, security codes. We can…"

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you." Alopex swallowed hard and nodded.

"I deserved that."

"She can still give the information and I can verify if for you. I've recently gained some access into the Foot systems." Donatello threw in with a gap toothed grin, leaning heavily on his crutch. Ninjara nodded.

"But it's a long way back to Japan. They'll definitely notice my absence before I could get there."

"Not if you fake your death." Alopex had a ghost of her old smile as she spoke.

"I'm not asking you to trust me again. I know better. Fake your death and you'll have the time you need to go save them."

"I can free them?" She couldn't believe it even as she spoke it. Yes the task was daunting and dangerous but now within the realm of possibility. A heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

"We can." Tears blurred her eyes as she looked up at Slash, feeling her heart swell with affection for him. Alopex grinned.

"And I have the perfect plan."


	123. Chapter 121: Fallen VI

**Fallen VI:**

Angel leaned against the cement well, keeping half her attention towards the meeting as Hun droned on. She wouldn't even have to be here if he hadn't promoted her to lieutenant after her showing in the tryouts. Then again, if he hadn't, she wouldn't have the authority to pursue her real goal.

Maybe it wouldn't be so annoying if he wasn't going on about imaginary turtle men and horror movie freaks in hockey masks like some kind of a loony. How could such a basket case master the entire Purple Dragon gang? She'd do way better in his place.

But if she had to pretend to hunt down figments of his imagination while shaking down some unfortunate businesses for a little cash in order to bring the hurt down on the Vipers she would. They'd taken all she had left and now she was going to make them pay. With interest.

The meeting finally ended and Hun stormed off to meet some ally whose name sounded like a salad making appliance. As the other lieutenants went their separate ways, Fong, easily the least capable among them, approached her.

"Hey, Angel right?" She nodded.

"It suits you, since you've obviously fallen from heaven." Ugh, was he serious?

"So, we don't get a lot of girls in the gang…" Well, this was just sad. But she was pretty sure that he'd been a member a long time. Maybe she could turn this to her advantage. A bit out of her comfort zone, she flashed him an uncharacteristic smile and he relaxed a bit.

"…so it's nice to have you here."

"Glad to hear it. So, you've been a member a while…" He puffed up with pride.

"…I don't suppose you've heard of the Vipers?"

"Psha, those losers. They're nothing."

"Heard they tried a drive by on the Dragons recently." He frowned.

"Well, yeah, they did…"

"Are the Dragons really going to let that go unanswered?"

"Uh, Hun's really more concerned about the turtles…" Ugh, not him too.

"Mutant turtles?"

"Hey, they're real and they're tough. I've had to fight them more than once. Don't take them lightly." Whatever.

"And I'm sure Hun's got that covered, but in the meantime, we can't let some little upstart stage a coup right? Our reputations are on the line."

"I guess so…"

"So, does anyone know where the Vipers are head quartered?"

"Well, I do, but…"

"Then let's grab some recruits and show 'em what happens when they mess with us."

"I don't think…" She pouted.

"Oh. I thought you were tough, someone to be respected, but if you're afraid of them…"

"Hell no! Wait'll you see what I can do against them." He was probably going for seductive, but missed it by about a mile. Angel didn't care, continuing to stare alluringly.

"Alright then. Impress me. Let's go right now."

* * *

It was sunset when they parked the van in front of an abandoned warehouse by the docks. Fong was driving and she rode shotgun with five recruits from the tryouts crammed into the back. Fong was clearly nervous, but his pride was on the line, so she was pretty sure that he wasn't going to back down now.

"Which one?"

"On the left, right on the water." Without another word, she slid out of the passenger side and strode up to the building while the others scrambled to keep up. As much as she wanted to just bust inside, she wasn't that stupid.

There were some shipping crates stacked up on the side of the building, tall enough to reach the high windows. She began to climb, needing to get the layout and enemy position. Fong clambered after her, not wanting to get shown up as he was nominally the leader in this little expedition. Whatever. As long as he didn't get in her way.

Hmm, there were twelve of them that she could see. So her team was outnumbered. They were unloading some crates, pulling out useless junk to reveal a variety of firearms underneath. So they were into contraband. Contraband they'd used to murder her mother.

"Woah, that's a lot of guns. Maybe we should bring this to Hun's attention."

"Don't chicken out on me yet." He stiffened next to her but didn't comment.

"We just need a plan." He stared at her blankly. Apparently running in and punching things was the extent of his tactical thinking. Some of the stuff they'd pulled out and tossed aside were firecrackers. They were pretty close to the door too.

Behind her, at the bottom of the stack of crates, one of the recruits lit up a cigarette, or a joint or something that produced smoke. It wasn't important. He was cannon fodder and she only needed the lighter.

With a smile, she climbed back down, snatched it from him, stuffed it in her pocket and slipped over to the doors, signaling Fong to wait. They were too distracted ogling their new weapons to notice as she glided in and scooped up the large mound of fire crackers and a coil of rope. Then she was back out again up the crates once more.

"You wanna fill me on your plan?" Fong whispered beside her as she secured the rope to the building frame and lined up the firecrackers on the sill.

"Get the men and wait outside the doors. When you hear the commotion, get in there and bust some skulls."

"What about you?" She gestured towards the rope.

"Angel, remember? Divine retribution comes from above." He grinned and moved to get the men in place. Then she lit the firecrackers as simultaneously as she could and shoved them in as far and as fast as she could manage. The room became engulfed in smoky panic as the loud bangs started going off.

Tossing the rope over, she pulled her arm warmers over her palms and slid down. She'd memorized their positions and in their terror, they hadn't moved much. She could hear cries of pain and sporadic gunfire as Fong's troops started in on them from the entrance.

She caught them completely off guard. One by one they all went down to the symphony of agonized howls and crunching bone. Her priority was to disable them. As the firecrackers stopped and the smoke cleared, she saw Fong smiling at her over the ones he'd taken down, trying not to show how impressed he was.

She'd managed seven of the twelve all on her own. They hadn't lost any Dragons either. The smoker had been grazed by a stray bullet, but everyone else seemed fine, barring some slight bruising.

"Damn! We really showed them. Wait, what are you doing?" She walked over to the nearest Viper, grabbed his head by the hair and raised one of her escrima sticks to finish it.

"What needs to be done."

"Angel…"

"You think they weren't planning to use deadly force on us?"

"Well, yeah, but their down now."

"So what? They've got it coming." Fong frowned, surprising her. She would not have pegged him for having scruples.

"I didn't sign on for this." Who was he to judge her?

"Then go. I don't need you anyway. I'll finish it myself." He looked hurt for a moment before balling his hands into tight fists and storming out of the warehouse, followed by the uncertain recruits who were clearly not keen on missing their ride home.

She watched them go. Then she turned back to her victim and raised her weapon. This is for mom you bastard! The ka-chks of semi-automatic rounds being chambered sounded to her left.

Risking a glance, she realized that there'd been seven men out of view that she hadn't accounted for and their weapons were all trained on her. Damn. It looked like she'd be going out like her mother anyway. But not without a fight.


	124. Chapter 122: Redemption VII

**Redemption VII:**

Probably for the first time in his life, Arnold wished that he owned a car. He was in a hurry and navigating the subway and bus system was simply not efficient. A car would have been much faster. Especially as there wasn't really much traffic at this time of night.

He did finally manage to come across a cab that he was currently sitting in, racing towards the docks. He'd promised the cabby a big tip to get him there in record time, wondering exactly how he was going to pay for it.

Between taking time off work and Miri's funeral arrangements, his savings were badly tapped. It didn't matter. He'd deal with it later. Even if he had to pull out a loan to get them through the next few months, it was survivable. Unlike his present problems.

He closed his eyes and considered the last week and a half. He'd started out innocently enough, showing her picture in what he remembered to be Purple Dragon and Viper territory although it had been a long time and borders were always shifting.

His instincts had picked up on which people knew something. When it came to people asking about gangs, everyone clammed up, fearing retribution. There was no humanitarian appeal that would get them to risk themselves or their families.

But the man who'd once extorted blood money from people like this was still a part of him. He knew how to make subtle and terrifying threats and extracted the hidden information on Angel like a dentist pulling teeth.

He hadn't actually needed to resort to violence against innocent civilians…yet, but he was sure some of those people wouldn't be sleeping easy any time soon. God he hated himself sometimes.

She'd been snooping about Purple Dragon recruitment, so she was seeking information and allies to obtain her vengeance. Smart girl. Too bad she was making a terrible mistake.

Waiting around the right places, he'd eventually stumbled across some Dragon wannabes and overheard her fight. Angel was impressive and the new Hun and snapped her up in a heartbeat. Damn. That had meant she was already in deep.

Fortunately, the distinctive tattoos of Purple Dragons made them readily identifiable. It didn't take long to find some in the right neighborhoods. Though older, he still had it in him. After the beat down he'd given the two that he'd stumbled upon, they were ready to tell him anything.

In his defense, he wasn't actually bluffing when he'd told them that if they didn't spill, they wouldn't ever walk again. He knew how to break legs beyond repair and the damage he'd already done to their knees with the pipe wrench was likely convincing enough.

So Angel had taken a strike team to the docks to take on the Vipers…tonight. He needed to get there before things went wrong. If the Vipers had gotten their hands on guns as Miri's death indicated, things would likely go very, very wrong.

The cab screeched to a halt at the docks and he leapt out, throwing the cash at the cabby and sprinting in the direction of the warehouse he'd been given. There were six Dragons leaving it, heading toward a van and Angel wasn't among them. Five of them were definitely sheep.

He went for the leader. Before he knew what was happening, Arnold had him slammed up against the side of the van and whipped out a butterfly knife that he deftly unfolded in a neat series of motions.

He held the knife out towards any of the underlings bold enough to interfere. The man pressed up against the van was terrified and trying not show it. There was a good reason that Arnold had become Hun of the Purple Dragons at such a young age.

"Where is she?"

"W-w-who?"

"Angel. Where. Is. She?" He gulped and glanced back at the warehouse.

"Psycho is murdering the Vipers we beat down." He swore and let the young man drop, charging through the minions towards the warehouse. He needed to get there before she did anything irrevocable. Some stains never washed clean. He would know better than anyone.

At the doors, his heart stopped. Seven men had guns pointed at Angel, armed only with a pair of sticks. Miri's little girl, entrusted to him, was about to die.

With a roar he charged in, ignoring the sounds of gunfire. He tackled her to the ground, feeling something gash across his right side and two thuds of pressure, one in his left shoulder and the other in his right thigh. The pressure rapidly transformed into intense burning pain, but he pushed that aside.

It would take less than a second for the men to readjust their aim and all he could do was protect Angel with his own body. That wasn't going to be good enough. He had failed.


	125. Chapter 123: Vigilante Justice IV

**Vigilante Justice IV:**

Casey felt April cling tightly to his torso and would have taken the time to enjoy the moment if her terror weren't completely justified. He'd used the harpoon attachment he'd recently affixed to his battle bike to latch onto the cab his dad had dove in and they were now rocketing through the streets at disastrously unsafe speeds.

He really wished they were wearing helmets right now. He had great physical instincts to flawlessly control the bike and April was completely in sync with him, but all it would take was one error to end them both. How had he gotten them into this mess? Was it only a week ago, that his sister had brought it up to him?

They'd been sitting at the table eating lunch. He was icing his sore ribs, for once the result of an actual hockey injury and not his nightly exploits, and she was doing some homework. Homework! Seriously? It was summer.

She'd won some stupid writing contest and the prize was a free creative writing class at a nearby community college. Who wanted to go to school in the summer? Apparently his dorky little sister did. Well she seemed to enjoy spending more time in a fantasy world than reality and he didn't really blame her. Reality sucked hard. That was why he went out most nights. But still.

He eyed the manga spilling out of her backpack on the edge of the table. They were all about teenage girls who realized they weren't ordinary, but magical princesses in some kind of supernatural version of reality. All of them. Sometimes he worried about her.

"Hey Casey?" He snapped his attention back to her.

"What's up Shad?" She frowned at the nickname. He'd started calling her Shadow years ago, when she followed him everywhere and the nickname had stuck, eventually being trimmed down to Shad.

No offense to Raph but he and his brother's ninja stealth had nothing on his little sister. She'd been able to follow him absolutely everywhere, completely undetected. He was so grateful when she'd finally grown up a little and started having interests other than him.

"Do you know where dad is?" This again? She'd been asking about dad last week too and it had really thrown him off his game.

"Isn't he at work?" She shook her head.

"No. He's been going the wrong way in the mornings lately, so I called Mr. Derring and he said that dad took a leave of absence."

"Huh?" Weird that dad hadn't mentioned it to them. Usually he was pretty open about family business and taking time off work totally qualified.

"He's been acting different too." Yeah, Casey had noticed that too recently, but he'd been trying not to think about it. He wanted to trust his father. Needed to trust his father.

But then he thought back to the night last week when his dad had almost caught him, should have caught him. It was such a bad lie. But he'd seemed distracted, in a hurry. To get to bed? No something was wrong, but Casey had been too wrapped up in himself to take note at the time. Good thing Shadow was observant.

"I'm worried about him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Shad. It's dad."

"I want you to check up on him."

"What?"

"I think that you need to find out what's going on with him."

"Dad can take care of himself. If he wanted us to know what he's doing, he'd tell us. We gotta respect that." She just glared at him.

"Because you don't want him butting in to your business?" He stiffened, twinging his injured ribs.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"I'll bet you an old style hockey mask with a skull spray painted on it that you do. If you're going to go out helping strangers every night, I don't see why you can't go help dad." Why the little sneak. How much did she know?

"If I was going to rat you out, I would have done so already. I think it's kind of heroic actually. But seriously, I will tell dad if you don't look into this and you can have fun explaining those upgrades that you've customized into your bike and old hockey gear." He scowled at her.

"Fine. But if I look into it and think its dad's business and not ours, you drop it, deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

April clung to Casey, using all her training with Master Splinter to maintain her balance. She was well aware that her jean shorts, leggings and T-shirt would not protect her from road rash if she fell off at this speed.

And that was a best case scenario in which she didn't break a bunch of bones or die instantly colliding with something solid like a streetlight or mailbox. How did she let herself get roped into this? She knew how. Because it was Casey and she just couldn't tell him no. Was it only a week ago that he'd come knocking on her window? She'd thought that it was one of the turtles at first before remembering that it was the middle of the day.

"Casey?"

"Hey Red."

"What are you doing here? And why didn't you use the door?"

"Didn't want to freak your dad out. I know he's still jumpy after all the Kraang stuff." She'd cringed, not wanting to think about her dad's PTSD. It should be expected after alien abductions, mutations and invasions and he was working through it, but it was a process. A slow, grueling, someday you'll get your dad back process, but at least he wasn't giving up.

Maybe being a psychologist and understanding what he was going through helped. Maybe he just wasn't willing to abandon her, no matter how hard it was to deal. Either way, she was proud of him and would support him through all of it.

She stepped out onto the balcony so they could talk, wondering why he'd just shown up here. She was trying to keep a low profile on their new apartment. After Shredder's goons had thrown Leo's dying body through her apartment window, she knew that going back there wasn't an option ever.

So they'd gotten a new place after the invasion had been thwarted and with Donnie's tech savvy, she'd made sure the address was not associated with her or her father's name, no matter how crazy corporations were with data collection.

She didn't want to think about the ethical gray areas here favorite turtle brother likely had to navigate to pull that off or what she was going to do when the summer ended and she'd have to enroll in school. Not having an address seemed like a problem for that, but that was a bridge she'd cross when she got to it.

The point was, for her and her father's safety she was keeping a low profile and didn't need anyone compromising it, not even Casey. Especially since he didn't seem to get it, just announcing his name to the criminals he was beating down.

She'd asked him once if he was worried about his family and he'd just glibly replied that there had to be a gazillion Joneses in New York, which was likely an exaggeration, and that no one was going to find anything on him by looking up 'Casey Jones.' She'd tried asking him about that, but he wouldn't say anymore on it.

Although, since Karai had found her while controlled by Shredder, maybe her location was already compromised and she was just clinging to false hope. It hadn't been very long yet, but no one had attacked since then, so maybe she still had her anonymity.

"You could have texted me to meet you somewhere, like the park where we used to study." He shrugged.

"I could use the rooftop skating practice." She just smiled and shook her head. Casey was Casey. She really shouldn't have expected him to be sensible and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she kind of liked that he wasn't.

"So…what's up? I assume you're not just dropping in for a visit." He grimaced and shook his head.

"I wish." He took a deep breath and continued.

"I kind of need your help with something. It's a little personal, so I don't want to bother the guys with it." Her stomach fluttered a bit at the thought of being in his special confidence, but she didn't let it show on his face.

"Personal?"

"Yeah, my dad's been acting strange lately. He took some time off work and didn't tell us and he's going out, doing something every day. My sister is really worried, so I want to just figure out what he's up to, you know, to set her mind at ease. And since you've got the mad investigation skills, I thought maybe you could help me out, you know, if you've got time."

She wanted to laugh, but kept it in. It was cute watching him struggle to ask for help. And he'd noticed that she was really good at digging up pertinent information and facts. She couldn't help preening a little internally over that.

"Ok, I'm in." And so had begun the harrowing odyssey of following his dad's trail. He was asking about some teenage girl and to Casey's great concern, none too nicely. This was clearly a side of his dad that he hadn't seen before and did not like.

She'd felt bad for him and had mostly kept her promise. But Donnie's texts had become increasingly frequent and insistent and if he suspected that she was avoiding him, he might start following her again. So she had to tell him something.

When he found out that she was helping Casey, he'd fallen uncharacteristically silent the past couple days. She really needed to deal with that and soon. But right now, Casey's dad had to come first.

They'd lost track of him after finding the business owner…interviews, but it sounded like the girl he sought was running with the Dragons. They only had a rough description of her from the picture that his dad was showing, but it was enough. Apparently someone like her was unique among the Dragons.

She and Casey had caught some of them mugging an old lady and stopped it. Casey had offered to let them go in exchange for information. He didn't obviously, leaving them tied up for the cops as usual, but they'd bought it and spilled.

The girl was Angel, a brand new lieutenant among the Dragons and bad ass to boot. Apparently she was Hun's new favorite. Why Casey's dad would be interested in her, April had no idea. The only other lead they'd gotten was that she had an interested in a rival gang called the Vipers.

Rather than setting Casey's mind at ease, their discoveries had fueled his determination to find out what his dad was up to. Using some of her contacts from earlier investigations of the Purple Dragons, on the turtles' behalf, she'd gotten a general location for the Viper Den.

They'd been on their way to explore the docks when they'd seen Casey's dad rushing into a cab. Without thinking, Casey had hooked them up and their leisurely ride had turned into a death race.

She could not die here. What would her dad do without her? She had a sinking suspicion that she was all the kept him anchored lately. Taking stupid risks with her safety jeopardized both of them. Stupid crush, causing her to make bad decisions.

Finally, they hit the docks and the cab made a sharp turn before screeching to a halt. Casey detached the harpoon rope from the bike and let them glide to a stoppable pace in the direction the cab had originally been going. Grateful the ride was over, she jumped off the bike onto wobbly jelly legs. Not an auspicious start to the evening.

In the distance, she could see Casey's dad pinning some guy to a van while waving a knife around. Wait, was that Fong? She'd had enough run-ins with the biggest loser in the Purple Dragons to recognize him on sight. Sure he'd mugged her and taken her phone once, but that was before her training as a kunoichi. She'd like to see him try that now.

"Hop back on Red, we gotta move." Cringing, she knew that he was right. Casey's dad was already running off somewhere and they were too far away to catch up on foot. Reluctantly, she climbed back on, feeling the tension and anger in him at what he'd just witnessed.

Sure Casey took on Purple Dragons too, but he was undeniably on the side of the angels. There'd been something dark and scary about Casey's dad when he did it. Casey zoomed past the surprised Purple Dragons, ignoring them completely.

With a sharp turn, using his feet to keep the bike from flipping, he screeched to a halt just outside the door, seconds after his father had gone in, jumping off to follow and dragging her with him. What they saw inside almost made April's heart stop.

* * *

Casey froze as the scene played out in slow motion. There was a girl wearing loose long black hair with purple streaks at the front, wielding a pair of wooden sticks. She reminded him a little bit of a less nerdy, hot, bad ass version of Irma. If Irma hadn't turned out to be a robotic Kraang spy. He should have guessed. No one could be that irritating.

His dad was charging towards her as a bunch of guys with green snake tattoos fired guns at them over the floor littered with the unconscious bodies of their comrades. At least sticks had taken out a good deal of them before getting herself set up to be gunned down.

His dad knocked into her just before the bullets hit. Most of them missed, but some sprays of blood suggested that at least a few had tagged him. His dad. These bastards shot his dad! The spell holding him broke as fury coursed adrenaline through his veins.

As the men adjusted their aim to finish his dad and the girl, he dropped a load of hockey pucks and began rapid firing them into the gunmen. The first puck knocked a man out cold and drew their attention his way, off of his dad.

As they were turning, two more head shots with his pucks knocked out more of their enemies and April's tessen flew disarming three others of their guns in a single boomerang sweep. But there was still one guy with a gun, ready to fire before either of them could get another attack off.

And then his dad was suddenly there, sending the man sprawling with the most brutal uppercut to the chin Casey had ever seen. That guy wasn't getting up. His dad proceeded to lay a serious smack down on the three guys April disarmed. Pretty soon, he was the only one left standing.

Casey had to admit he was a little in awe of his father. Not that he hadn't been before, but the idea of his dad street brawling had just never crossed his mind. The girl was starting to edge away, when his dad's intense gaze snapped back towards her.

"No. I did not spend all this time tracking you down and getting shot so you could run off again. You're coming home with us, like your mom wanted." She just gaped at him, trying and failing to form words, like a fish out of water. His dad looked like he wanted to say more, but staggered and fell heavily against the crates, blood staining his clothing. That's right, his dad had been shot.

"Dad!" He hated that he sounded like a scared child as he ran to him, catching his frighteningly pale father as he sank to the ground.

"Hang on dad." His father looked up at him with unfocused eyes.

"Nice shots kiddo. Was that your math tutor with the boomerang thing?" His dad's words had a slight slur around the edges. Not good.

"April call and ambulance!"

"You think they'll come here at this time of night?" The girl who caused this finally spoke. Casey glared at her, but she was right. They were not in a great part of town. An ambulance would want cops on the scene first and his dad didn't have that kind of time.

"April, call Donnie. We need him here now!" She bit her lip, glancing at the stick girl, and nodded. Casey looked back at his dad. What should he do? What should he do!? And then the girl was there, having ripped one of the downed guy's shirts off, tearing it into two pieces.

"Tie this one around his leg. I'll get the shoulder. Apply pressure to the wound." He complied, but was still glaring at her. This was her fault. And his dad wanted her to come home with them. What the hell?

"Who are you anyway?"

"Nobody."

"If you're nobody, why did my dad just risk his life saving yours?"

"I don't know. Before he showed up at the police station to pick me up from the social worker, I'd never seen him before!"

"He said he knew your mom?"

"Well that's news to me."

"Where is your mom anyway?" The girl's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

"Gunned down by these bastards."

"Oh." Casey felt at a sudden loss for words. She had a valid reason to be here kicking some butt. He might have backed her in it if hadn't put his dad in the line of fire. A familiar blond head poked out from between two of the crates.

"Dammit Shad! What are you doing here?" He was struck again at how much his sister resembled his mom, in the pictures of her dad always kept around the apartment. Her bright blue eyes were welling with tears as she took in her unconscious father.

"I was worried."

"How did you even find us here?"

"I put GPS tracking software on your phone and took a cab with my allowance savings."

"You what?" He was going to have to get a phone from Donnie. The T-phones should be secure enough that his thirteen year old sister couldn't hack them. She should not be here, seeing this. Dammit!

A familiar squeal broke the moment. He'd never been so glad to hear the shellraiser. And what were Raph and Mikey doing here? He'd just asked for Donnie. Oh. They were helping Donnie walk. What had happened to the turtles?

And if Donnie needed help, where was Leo? He had a hard time believing the leader was kicking back at home. Raph caught the question in his eyes as the brothers lowered Donnie down to get to work.

"Leo's worse off than Donnie. Sensei's not letting him topside yet." Leo was worse off. What had happened? An awed gasp reminded him that they weren't alone and he turned to see how his sister was taking this.

She looked…enthralled. What was wrong with her? That was not his reaction to the first time he'd seen a mutant. Oh God it was the manga. She thought she was some magical princess that just stepped out of her ordinary life into some supernatural world of wonder. Crap! That was going to be one hell of a let-down. Whatever, he'd deal with that later. And Mikey really needed to stop smiling at her. He was going to make it worse.

"Holy shit they're real." Double crap, that's right. Nobody of the Purple Dragons was still here.

"Yeah and they're my friends, so if you try anything…" She blinked at him and shook her head.

"No. I only cared about the Vipers." She gestured at the bodies covering the floor.

"I know that's your sister. Who's this?" Raph's rough voice broke into his stare down with her.

"Apparently she's my newly adopted Purple Dragon sister."

"What?" He ignored Raph's reaction as Nobody glared at him.

"I didn't ask for this! I don't know why my mom would make a total stranger her next of kin."

"Well, I don't run with criminals, so if you're gonna be part of this family, no more Purple Dragons."

"Don't tell me what to do kid. It's none of your business."

"Ok, I think I've got the shoulder and thigh stabilized for now, but we have to get him home, so I can stitch them up properly. But first, I want to check out that graze on his side, in case it's deeper than it looks. Mikey, Raph, roll him on his side and help me get his shirt off."

Donnie's calm voice was a soothing balm that diffused the standoff. He looked back at his dad and let out a strangled gasp. It swiftly occurred to him, that he'd never actually seen his dad with his shirt off. He even wore a shirt when they went swimming. And now he knew why?

It felt like the room was closing in on him or maybe the floor was falling out from under him. Everything was spinning and he needed to leave. Now! Before anyone could stop him he darted out of the warehouse.

* * *

Angel was just trying to keep up. Everything had happened so fast. This was the man her mom had wanted to leave her with. A stranger that she'd never even mentioned. And he'd tracked her down and now might be dying because he saved her life. From her own stupid mistake.

And the ninja turtles were real and friends with her new brother who was apparently also the masked vigilante ranking with the turtles on Hun's shit list. It was too screwed up. To top it all off, her new foster father used to be a Dragon.

She could see the faded outline of the removed tattoo that had once taken up his entire back under layers of battle scars. It mirrored her own painfully fresh tattoo under hidden under her tank top.

After what the boy had just said about criminals, no wonder he'd flipped out and taken off. He and the turtles were archenemies with the Dragons. This was not going to go over well. The red one was cursing, but kept ahold of the man as the vigilante boy took off. Purple was talking now.

"Raph, we need to get Casey's dad home." So the boy's name was Casey? And Red's name was Raph.

"Yeah but…" The red headed girl stepped in.

"Mikey, Raph, help me get Casey's dad into the shellraiser." And orange was Mikey. What the hell was a shellraiser? It turned out the girl's help wasn't necessary as the two turtles could easily lift Casey's father on their own. Instead, she helped purple stand with his injured leg. They'd barely gotten up, when Raph and Mikey returned.

"Done. What now April?" Ok, red head was April.

"I'll go back with Donnie." And purple was Donnie. If someone would say the little girl's name, she'd finally be up to speed.

"Raph, you need to go find Casey and talk him down." Raph cringed, but nodded.

"Mikey you need to tie up these guys, call the cops on them and take Casey's…sisters home."

"On it April." This was going to be weird, but she did owe the man her life. She'd comply. For now.

* * *

Casey's thoughts were a red snarl. His dad had been a Dragon. His dad had been a criminal. That man who'd taught him everything about what was right and good was a bad guy. The world didn't make any sense anymore.

He knew that he should have stayed. If nothing else, Shad needed him, but it was too much. He didn't know where he was going, but he couldn't be still. It felt like he would explode if he stopped.

Then he sensed it. Someone following him. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, somehow keeping up. Well, if he chose his route strategically, Raph could keep up with cars, so why not a bike. He gave his friend a bitter smile and pulled into the nearest alley. At least this was something he could still trust.

Ditching his bike, he began to climb the fire escape, knowing that Raph would be waiting up top. It was a long climb and he was worn out from the events of the evening. Now that the anger and adrenaline were fading, he just felt depressed. What was he doing every night? There weren't any heroes in real life. Miserable, he plopped down next to Raph. The turtle cleared his throat.

"So…uh…you wanna talk about it?" He almost laughed. Raph was so awkward when trying to talk about feelings and personal issues.

"No. Not really." They sat in silence for a while. Casey's thoughts were still caught in that same self-defeating spiral.

"So are you ok then?"

"No I'm not. My dad was a Purple Dragon!"

"Was being the operative word." Casey glared at him.

"It doesn't matter if he's not anymore. He was one of them. How the hell am I supposed to forgive that?" Raph shrugged.

"He seemed like a good father to you for as long as I've known you."

"He's been lying to me all my life."

"Do you think you should give him a chance to explain?"

"Why?"

"I don't know, maybe because he's your dad and you owe him that much for raising you."

"Owe him? Owe him what? Forgiveness?"

"A chance to tell you what happened." Furious, Casey jumped to his feet, spoiling for a fight.

"Like it matters what happened. If it was Splinter would you be so forgiving? You don't have a clue so stop acting like you do!" Moving like green lightning Raph had him pinned on the roof before he could blink.

"Oh I don't know anything do I? That's what you think? Well guess who's come home again? Karai. And this time she's brought her Foot friend Alopex with her to stay with us. The same Alopex who just led us into a trap, nearly got Leo, Donnie and Venus killed and got Lisa stabbed.

"Oh and on top of that, she betrayed a whole village belonging to Slash's friend to be enslaved by the Foot. But she's sorry now and Leo's letting her stay, because apparently we're running a freaking hotel for the supposedly reformed Foot castoffs. So, I'd say I've got a PhD in sucking it up and letting past mistakes go now!"

Casey just blinked up at his friend in startled shock as the fire in Raph's green eyes died down and he shoved off of him. Apparently he wasn't the only one whose world was imploding. Raph sighed.

"I know the world's going crazy right now, but don't give up on him without giving him a chance." He didn't want to admit it, but maybe Raph had a point. Raph's phone beeped and he glanced at it. Casey sat up to get a look and froze as the words penetrated his brain.

"Raph, get Casey back here now! His dad needs a transfusion or he's not going to make it."

* * *

Angel followed Casey's sister home in a bit of a daze while the mutant turtle ran along the rooftops above them. Like the girl was in any danger with Angel along. She was tougher than anyone else out here.

They'd waited outside the warehouse for the police to show up and start arresting the restrained Vipers. Those bastards would be going away for a long time on just the weapons trafficking charges, but Angel thought they'd go down for her mom's murder too. She was surprisingly ok with that.

The apartment was four floors up and the elevator was busted. It looked like it had been that way or a long time. The girl unlocked the door and ran over to the window, throwing it open. She waved out of it.

"Bye Mikey! Thanks!" She could see the turtle silhouette wave back before disappearing. So they were here. Now what?

"You'll probably be staying in my room. I think we have an air mattress in the closet that you can use. Come on Angel, I'll show you." Angel froze.

"How do you know my name?" The girl bit her lip.

"I'm not really good at respecting personal boundaries." Angel raised a brow at the girl.

"Here, come this way, I'll show you. I'm Maria by the way. You can call me Shadow if you want. Casey does." She followed Maria into what was probably her dad's room and watched the girl drag a large cardboard box out of the closet. When Maria tossed the lid aside, she could see that if was full of letters, from her mom to Arnold Jones.

"We obviously don't have the letters my dad sent to your mom, but she mentions you a lot and sent pictures sometimes." Angel pushed aside any thoughts of violating Arnold's privacy and reached into the box. These were from her mom and she needed to know.

Losing track of time, she immersed herself into her mother and Arnold's friendship. It seemed like Arnold was a big brother to her. She told him everything, especially about her wayward daughter, and thanked him for advice he'd apparently sent back in return.

Although she'd never known them, the Jones clan really was her family. And she'd run away from him and nearly gotten him killed. Feeling a lump in her throat, she had a desperate need to apologize.

"Do you know where they took your dad?" Maria shook her head.

"Do you think Casey's with him?" She shrugged.

"I hope so. Dad should be with at least one of us." Angel ran her hands through her hair.

"I wish we could find them." Maria smiled slowly and pulled out her phone.

"I can lead us to Casey."

* * *

Casey raced into the lair, jumping the turnstiles as he'd done a thousand times before and ran straight to Donnie's lab. His dad was laid out on the table, looking worn and pale. Donnie had bandaged the wounds, but he was still unconscious. Raph was right. No matter what this was still his dad and he had to save him. Everything else could wait.

"What do I do?" Leaning heavily on his crutch, Donnie gestured to a chair next to his dad while gathering up equipment.

"Take a seat and I'll get you hooked up." He paused as though suddenly realizing something.

"Uh, do you have the same blood type as your father?" Casey nodded and sat down.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Angel trudged through the abandoned subway tunnel as Maria led the way. This was taking forever. The first location they'd ended up at was an empty park. Maria had seemed momentarily confused before determining that they were in the wrong vertical position. With nothing above, Casey had to be below. So it became a game of tunnel trial and error to navigate to the source of the signal.

They finally came upon what looked to be an abandoned subway station, though she could hear a myriad of voices within. This must be the place. They climbed up to the platform and strode up to the turnstiles. Her jaw fell open as she took in the scene.

To the right their was a dining room and kitchen, where a turtle in a blue mask, an enormous turtle in a black mask, a snake girl and two fox mutants, one orange and one white appeared to be having a heated discussion over steaming cups of what smelled like tea.

Then the middle area had a long L shaped bench serving as a couch in front of an old television set and some beat up bean bag chairs scattered among the stacks of empty pizza boxes. Raph was reading a magazine in one of the bean bag chairs.

Mikey was curled up on the couch with a blonde, human girl who appeared to be blind, watching an episode of Crognard the Barbarian and on the far side of the couch was a lizard girl with a bandaged shoulder, intently focused on her laptop screen.

At the far end of the room, past the tire swing over what looked like a small moat, were stairs leading up to a room with sliding doors. Just within she could make out a large rat man in a purple robe speaking with what looked to be a blue masked female turtle. What was this place? Some kind of mutant sanctuary? Beside her, Maria squealed in delight, drawing everyone's attention.

"This place is amazing! Oh hi Mikey!" The orange turtle waved cheerfully at her as she practically jumped up and down. Blue shot orange an appraising glance.

"Mikey?" There was a warning in his voice.

"It's Casey's sister. Well I guess they both are. What? Don't look at me. I don't know how they got here." Raph shook his head.

"Geez. Did someone publish our address and forget to tell me? Worst secret lair ever." Mikey laughed. "Oh come on. They're Casey's sisters, so they're family." Raph shook his head and pointed at Angel.

"She's a Purple Dragon." Mikey shrugged.

"So? Karai and Alopex are Foot."

"Not anymore!" Blue, snake girl and white fox responded simultaneously. Maria was still ogling the place in wonder.

"Wow. Can I come visit sometimes?" Mikey grinned.

"Of course you can! Anytime." Blue raised his bandaged arm to waylay the comment, grimaced and thought better of it.

"We'll see. What are you two doing her anyway?" Maria frowned.

"We want to see dad." That subdued everyone. Raph got up.

"Follow me." He led them to a big steel door and slid it open to reveal a neatly organized…lab? Part of it looked like a mechanic garage, part of it a weapon forge, part of it a medical center, part of it a computer station and part of it a chemical lab. She didn't think there was a single word that qualified for the versatile space. And was that a giant algae tank built into the floor? Why would anyone want that?

In the medical area, Arnold lay unconscious on a table while Casey sat next to him, attached to him with red plastic tubing. No, not red tubing. Clear tubing, filled with blood. Donnie and April looked up from the computer terminal as they entered and Casey just glared.

"Shad! What are…how did…?" He glanced down at his phone as though it had personally betrayed him.

"Donnie I assume a thirteen year old girl can't crack the security on one of your T-phones." Donnie scoffed.

"Of course not. My security is better than what most major corporations can manage."

"Good, because I'm gonna need one." Maria pouted.

"Don't be mad. We were just worried about dad." Casey glanced at her but she refused to falter under his gaze.

"So he's dad now?" She nodded reluctantly.

"I showed Angel, the letters dad saved from her mom. We're cool now." He turned back to Maria.

"Angel? Letters?" Maria bit her lip.

"I guess I should probably show them to you too, if dad doesn't have a fit and ground me when he wakes up. He and Angel's mom have been friends forever. I guess she was friends with our mom too before…" Maria trailed off sadly. Donnie sighed.

"Well this is going to take a while. Raph, why don't you take them out of the lab and make them comfortable? April can call them in if Casey's dad wakes up."

* * *

Donnie rubbed his eyes and tried to ignore how April sat next to Casey. She'd just cleared up the plate of cookies and glass of juice that she'd fed to him and came back to sit with him.

He knew it was practical. Casey had just given a lot of blood and needed the hydration and nutrition and it would be impractical for him to do it with his leg a mess. But she didn't have to do it so endearingly. Exhausted, Casey was drifting in and out of sleep. And why not? It had been a long day for everyone.

He had wanted to tell April what happened and let her fawn over his injuries, but now wasn't the time. It never seemed to be the time. He hobbled over to the door to see how everyone else was faring.

Shadow was laughing with Mikey and Lily on the couch over whatever cartoon was on television. It looked like they'd gone back to Super Robo Mecha Force Five. Maybe Shadow was an anime fan. Angel seemed to have attached herself to Alopex. The Purple Dragon and the Foot. Who would have ever thought they'd be welcome here?

He hobbled back over to Casey's dad to check his vitals again. The man's eyes fluttered open and he gasped upon seeing Donnie, who cringed and waited for the inevitable screaming. Except it never came.

"Am I dead or dreaming?" Well at least he wasn't screaming.

"Uh no." He tried to get up and Donnie rested a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"Relax Mr. Jones. I don't think you're ready to move yet."

"Where am I?"

"The place they usually patch me up." They both turned to see Casey crack his eyes open.

"Casey?"

"Yeah dad. I'm right here." April stood up.

"I'll get your sisters." Within minutes the lab was crowded with the whole family and guests. Donnie normally considered it a large space, but with this many people in it, it seemed small and cramped.

Mr. Jones just gaped at the assortment of mutants. He might have panicked but clearly didn't have the energy and so just accepted it as the loss of sanity. He glanced back at his son.

"Casey?" Casey huffed and Raph clapped a hand on his shoulder, intending it to be an encouraging gesture.

"They're heroes…well mostly." He shot Karai and Alopex a threatening glance.

"And I go out with them, well with Raph mostly…" He gestured to the turtle behind him. "…and we save people." Arnold managed the ghost of a smile.

"So that's what you've been up too?" Casey nodded, obviously a little surprised that his dad wasn't more upset.

"You're ok with that?" He shook his head and laughed weakly.

"No, but I think I'll have to be. I'm just relieved. I thought you were getting caught up in something bad, but I should have known better." Casey fought a proud smile and Mr. Jones looked up at Raph.

"You got each other's backs?" Raph nodded.

"Always." Mr. Jones sighed.

"Then that's all I can ask. I know asking you to be careful or stop will be a waste of breath, but look out for each other, ok?" Casey's eyes were glassy as he nodded.

"Thanks dad."

"No more secrets."

"Dad?" Mr. Jones looked around the room.

"Can everyone give me a minute with my kids?" The room began to empty out.

"Angel wait. You stay too. All three of you need to hear this."

* * *

Arnold had closed his eyes as he spoke, not wanting to see their reactions. They needed to know, but he was afraid it would change everything. He wished he could have hidden it from them forever. He didn't want Casey and Maria to know what he'd done, who he'd been, but they had to. Secrets were toxic.

And Angel needed to know about Miri. Why Miri would never ever want her to be a Purple Dragon. And so it all poured out. His own screwed up family, the grandparents that Casey and Maria had mercifully never known. His alcoholism and descent into gang life. His empty, meaningless rise to power and Miri's brutal existence among the Dragons.

It was a relief when he came to Miri's pregnancy and Gabrielle. How they'd gotten each other out of the life. How Gabrielle had saved them both. Given them a fresh start. A clean slate. How her loss had killed them both. But they had survived it. For Casey, Maria and Angel. How the three of them were worth everything.

The tale poured out of him like poison, leaving him spent but healed. All he wanted to do was sleep, but for better or for worse he had to know. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. Both Angel and Casey looked pensive.

Angel stood up and left and Casey followed suit a moment later. His son would never see him the same way again and he wanted to weep for the loss of that innocent hero worship. But it was gone. Maybe they could build something new now. Something real. He had to hope.

Maria picked up his hand and held it, eyes full of unshed tears. Then she laid her head on his chest and cried them out. He stroked her soft, feathery hair and murmured nonsense words of comfort as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Casey stormed into Raph's room where he'd been listlessly tapping on his drums, probably avoiding Lisa again, but Casey couldn't care about that right now. Seeing his friend's expression and understanding him in only the way Raph could, he dropped the drumsticks, got up and left.

Casey knew he could trust Raph to keep everyone else at bay while he sorted himself out. He was so ashamed of his behavior earlier. He'd behaved like such a whiny little brat. Nothing was ever as simple as he wanted to make it. Good and evil with nothing in between? That was kid stuff.

He couldn't believe what his dad had gone through. What he had survived. To come back from that and raise him and Maria the way he did, all by himself. He wasn't sure he could have managed that. The truth was that his dad was more his hero now than he'd ever been and when he was feeling well enough to go back home, Casey was determined that he would know it.

* * *

Angel fled from the lab, rushed through the turnstiles to everyone's yelps of surprise and sat down on the ledge overlooking the old subway tracks. She knew that a few of the others had followed to see where she was going, but had politely backed off when it was clear that she just needed some space.

Angel. She'd never really understood the significance of her name before. She'd thought it a stupid name actually, wishing her mother had named her something else. But she understood now. She'd been her mother's salvation. Her angel. That was why.

It was as though she'd been missing a piece to the puzzle of her mother's life and Arnold had just filled it in for her, causing the whole picture to suddenly make sense. Her mother wasn't the fragile, weak creature she'd always taken her for.

She was brave, a survivor, and Angel owed her everything. If her mom hadn't been so strong, her life would have been very different and not for the better. Assuming that she would have had that life at all. Arnold had given her a new respect for Miriam Bridge and Angel was grateful for that. Probably more than she could ever express.

The harm that the Vipers had done now seemed petty compared to that of the Dragons. She should burn the tattoo right off her back and walk away from them forever. But they would still be out there, hurting people. Casey and his friends could and did mitigate some of the damage, but it wasn't enough. It could never be enough. Something needed to be done about the Purple Dragons.


	126. Chapter 124: Fallen VII

**Fallen VII:**

Casey sat on the rooftop in his hockey mask and gear, wondering if he should call Raph to go out for a run tonight. He'd tell his dad if he did. It felt nice to get away from all the lying and deceit, like they were finally a family again.

But he knew the turtles weren't enthusiastic about Raph going topside with only Mikey in shape to come running if things went south. It wasn't like Venus couldn't help too. But the turtles always seemed to think of themselves as four, no matter how their family grew.

Granted Karai and Alopex had a long way to go, earning some trust back. Except with Leo who still followed Karai around with puppy dog eyes. But for everyone else, it would take time.

Speaking of trust, he looked down and saw Angel sneaking out of the window with her battle sticks in her backpack. Where was she off to? Well, she was his sister and he needed to look out for her.

Without giving himself too much time to think about it, he took off after her, careful not to draw attention. Skating across the rooftops with practiced ease after all his time running with the turtles, he followed.

She was headed to Dragon territory. No way. It couldn't be. After everything that had happened, after what his dad had told them, she was going back to those losers? No way!

He seethed on his rooftop as Angel casually strode into their headquarters. His new T-phone went off, indicating a text message. From April.

"How are things?" Just peachy. My new sis is an idiot and a traitor.

"Fine."

"Want to hang out?"

"No, I've got some stuff to take care of with Angel." He tucked the phone away. Yes, he and Angel were going to have a long talk about this.

* * *

Angel busted into the Dragon headquarters like she owned the place. Several Dragons leapt up, but calmed down at the sight of her. Fong glared pitifully in her direction.

"Didn't think you were coming back?"

"What? After you and those other cowards ditched me?" He flinched.

"Well I'm stronger than you think and took care of it myself."

"It took you long enough." She stiffened at the sound of Hun's voice behind her.

"Well, I was working solo." He raised a brow behind his black aviator sunglasses.

"You weren't ordered to go after the Vipers." She smiled boldly.

"Are you complaining? You obviously had more important stuff on you plate. But they were trafficking firearms and gunning for us. I just took care of it before it became a problem. Now we can focus on the tasks that actually matter." Her tactic paid off and he smiled.

"True. And I admire your initiative but I expect you to wait for orders from now on." She nodded respectfully.

"Of course. Although I was hoping maybe I could be given a little more responsibility, now that you know what I'm capable of." He thought about it for a moment.

"That can be arranged."

* * *

Casey waited until Angel exited the building and had worked her way back well out of Dragon territory. She'd spent a long time in there. Normally, if he hadn't been so furious, waiting that long would have bored him out of his mind.

In the alley outside their apartment, he dropped down and almost got a pair of sticks to the vitals for startling her. She checked herself in time though.

"What do you think you're doing Angel?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Don't you have better things to do than follow me?"

"We're family now, get used to it." This actually seemed to surprise her and warrant some serious consideration. He suddenly realized that she wasn't used to depending on anyone or having allies. She'd clearly always gone it alone. That made him both sad and angry. She was looking at him appraisingly now.

"What are you doing back with the Purple Dragons? You have us now?"

"I'm taking them down from the inside."

"What?"

"You heard me. But…I can't do it by myself."

"Woah woah woah. If you think I'm joining, even as a double agent…"

"No. I'm going to work my way to the top, quickly, and unseat Hun, but I'll need you to help me stage some fights to earn the cred to do it. And when the time comes, I'll need you to help me defeat Hun. I can't take him alone." That last admission cost her something.

"And when you're the new Hun?"

"I won't take that title, but when I'm in charge, I'll use the Dragons to protect people, like you do on a much larger scale. It's poetic right? Take one the city's greatest hazards and turn it into a force for good."

"And you think the other Dragons will be on board for that?"

"Most of them are sheep. They'll unquestioningly follow whoever is strongest and in charge. And anyone who can't adjust to the new program will find himself in jail for his crimes. So are you in or what?" Casey smiled, liking his new sister.

"I'll have to run it by Raph for some of the fights I suspect you're gonna need, but yeah. I'm in."


	127. Chapter 125: Loyalty and Honor V

**Loyalty and Honor V:**

Dirk waited patiently. It was a good trap. The result of great preparation. He would finally be taking down an actual target, not some of the other freaks he'd practiced his skills on. They still didn't seem quite real to him.

The pizza blob creature belonged in a B horror movie and the skeletal squirrel monsters reminded him of Alien. Although after recent events, that didn't seem much like science fiction anymore. It was his life now.

The easiest and the hardest had been the skateboarding gecko. The thing was practically defenseless so that it took no skill at all to capture, but it had reminded him so much of a kid, that he'd almost set it free.

But he didn't. A. J. needed them. After what the Foot clan had been responsible for doing to him and at least one of his nieces, they couldn't be trusted. And after the invasion the world was a dangerous place.

A. J. had always had powerful enemies but had managed to fend them off. Until this past year that is. He needed an edge, one that Dirk had failed to provide. But maybe these creatures were it.

A van with a Rocksteady and Bebop logo on the side pulled up in front of the condemned building and he smiled. It was time to get some moles in the Foot. He would have liked to stake out the New York Foot headquarters, but the risk of detection was too great.

They sent the rhino and the warthog out pretty regularly to shake down the Shredder's 'allies' for information on some enemy mutant turtles. He should probably acquire those for A. J. too at some point. But his first priority was helping A. J. keep his deal with the Shredder's traitor.

Instead, he's staked out a distant building with a sniper scope for an extended period. With patience and the occasional adjustment to his location to get different vantage points, he'd finally managed to determine where they regularly parked their vehicle some distance away from the Foot headquarters.

After that, it had been easy to install trackers and bugs. Listening in and following, he'd gotten a sense of their usual contacts and determined who hated and feared them the most. All it took was the promise to get them off his back for that Dragon, Fong was it, and his two buddies to lay a false trail. The pig and rhino would never hurt them again and in return they give them a lead on the turtles. And so they came.

He'd read their dossiers. He was prepared. He flipped down his infrared goggles, knowing that Zeck would likely enter with his invisibility tech on. A. J. would want to study that. But it only bent light. It didn't do a thing to hide his body heat, so Dirk had it covered.

Steranko just charged right in, justifiably fearless, while Zeck flipped about along the perimeter. They were both amped up for a fight. Zeck sniffed the air.

"Yo snap! I don't smell any turtles man. Those wack gangbangers gave us nothing."

"Patience Bebop."

"I told you not to call me that!"

"We will investigate. If nothing here, then we go back and break some bones, ya?"

"Fine."

Steranko began throwing furniture out of the way with impunity as he looked around, while Zeck took the edges, inspecting for secret doors or passages. He did eventually find one secret as Dirk set off the nerve gas bombs when his heat image was well within range. Gasping and choking, he thrashed, fell to the ground and began trying to drag himself away before falling unconscious.

"Bebop!" Steranko rushed over to him, working to hide the limp in his left leg that he'd recently developed. He stopped short of the dissipating gas. Deciding that the potential threat was more important than getting his cohort to safety, he began looking around, but Dirk's spot was well hidden.

Any good sniper needed to be a master of camouflage and Dirk was a very good sniper. He had his high powered tranquilizer rifle aimed and ready. Now that Steranko had stopped moving to take his surroundings with greater care, Dirk took the perfect opportunity and fired.

He would have thought someone with Steranko's KGB training would have gone for cover the moment Zeck was down, but maybe his rhinoceros mutation had made him overconfident. Grunting from the hit, Steranko staggered back as three more darts struck him. Dirk was taking no chances and would rather risk an overdose than be caught at the creatures' mercy.

The tranquilizer took effect and Steranko went down with a moan. Dirk slipped out of his nest and checked on Zeck. Still alive. He wasn't sure when he chosen how much gas to use. Just to be safe, he pulled out two more tranquilizers and administered them by hand. That done, he whipped out his phone and made the call.

* * *

Rocksteady groaned and forced his gummy eyes open. His mouth was dry and felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. His mind was still foggy, but anger was beginning to clear it. He was still in the same building where they'd been ambushed. And why not? Who could lift him?

Forcing himself up onto one knee, he could barely restrain a scream of pain as he went back down. Wrong knee. How could he forget what the turtle had done to him? Growling he pushed himself up onto his other knee and looked around.

Behind him, he could hear Bebop retching. Whatever the thief said, he liked their new names and planned to continue using them. It was good they were both conscious and alive but also a bit disturbing that no one had tried to restrain them while they were out.

A door opened from deeper within the building and in came a strange, fake looking man in a business suit, followed by a one eyed soldier and he stood to meet them. Rocksteady could relate to the second man, but the first, not so much. His skin hung wrong on him.

So these were the ones who had set the ambush. Well now they would pay for what they had done to him. He commanded his body to charge, to impale them upon his horn, but it didn't comply. The fake man smiled.

"Ivan Steranko is it?"

"Yes." His reply was automatic and against his will. A sense of dread curdled in his stomach.

"Excellent. You two will remain in the Shredder's employ, doing your normal work, except that every two weeks you will send a report on all of the Shredder's doings to this address." The man flicked a business card at him and his fingers snapped it out of the air, without his permission. It was blank save for a P.O. Box.

"Memorize that and destroy it. I will expect as many details as you are able to glean without arousing any suspicion. I also expect you to be discreet now that you are in my employ."

This was one of the rare moments in Steranko's life when he was well and truly scared. He'd thought the worst had been when the Shredder had caught him and was preparing to mutate him, but this was so much worse. He was going to do everything that this man commanded with full and absolute compliance. He couldn't not.

His body didn't belong to him anymore. It was this man's puppet and his conscious awareness was merely a prisoner inside and there was nothing he could do about it. Yes, he feared this. Feared it so much worse than death. The man smiled, or tried to as the skin on his face just moved wrong.

"Oh and you won't be avenging yourself on those Purple Dragons. They've turned out to be some very useful agents. You won't harm them and if necessary you will protect them. Understood?"

There was a silent psychic command in his mind and he understood that this man didn't even need to speak to control him. Hearing Bebop follow suit behind him, he dropped back down to his good knee and bowed his head. Their reply was simultaneous.

"Yes master."


	128. Chapter 126: To Trust VIII

**To Trust VIII:**

Angel hadn't been certain that it was a good idea for Casey to talk to Raph, and thus the entire turtle clan, about her plans for the Dragons. They seemed a little protective to allow one of their own, it was so strange to think of herself that way, to do something so blatantly dangerous. But it was going to work out beautifully.

Apparently Raph's friend, Ninjara needed some help and Angel's plan for the Dragons tied in perfectly to completing that end. Most of the plan for helping Ninjara seemed to come from the other clever fox girl, Alopex, which made everyone a little jumpy.

After what she'd been told, their suspicions weren't out of line, but she'd gotten a genuine vibe from the girl when they'd met and was the last person to condemn someone for bad decision making. Either way, this was going to work out for her. It was a dangerous plan, but there was no safe way to pull this off and their payoff would totally be worth it. Assuming no one died.

No, they'd prepared too much for things to go south. She'd practiced this fight so much, she could do it in her sleep. Everything would be fine. Three ornery Dragons shadowed her as she moved through the night, looking for innocents walking the wrong streets alone after dark.

The Dragons seemed divided between awe of and hatred towards her. Hun had asked her why she wanted the ones who detested her for her missions. They were the ones who needed to learn to respect her.

Or at least that's what she'd told him. The truth was that she needed to weed them out. Over time, they'd either need to get a beat down from her 'enemies' that would force them to rethink their criminal career or happen to be caught incriminatingly by the authorities on their routine missions.

Regardless, she'd remove the bad eggs from the picture while building her credibility among the rest. Then she'd be ready to make her move. The three tonight were looking at a beat down. Alopex's words rang clear in her mind.

"We need to bait them, but they have to think it's their idea. Angel and the Dragons are our best bet to feed them what we want them to know." It was a good plan and she was almost there. There was a tracker on her. They'd know when she was getting close. When to start. She could just hear their voices now.

Holding up her hand, she signaled her team to halt and quietly follow. Raph and Casey were on the rooftop above them, completely audible now. She gave her people a feral grin and pantomimed sneaking and pounding motions. The three nodded, expressions torn between nerves and anticipation.

Using the dumpster as access to the fire escape, she climbed silently, wincing at all the noise her cohorts were making. It was really going to hit their pride for Raph and Casey to pretend to be taken by surprise by this lot. Voices rained down from above.

"Ok, spill. You've been brooding all night."

"I don't brood."

"Uh huh?" Awkward silence.

"Fine. Slash mentioned that he and the Mutanimals caught a mutant fox girl recently."

"Mutant fox girl? You mean like the one who screwed you guys last week?"

"Yeah."

"You told the others?"

"Slash told me in confidence! What's he gonna think when Leo gets all in his face over it?"

"I don't see why he doesn't hand her over. You guys have a bone to pick with her."

"Yeah, but he's still sore about getting caught and controlled. He needs get some info if he's going to retaliate."

"Maybe you should just leave her to him then." Raph sighed.

"As much as I'd love to, it's not honorable."

"Honorable?"

"What? I have honor!" Good thing she was almost to the top. Alopex laid out the generalities, but their improvisation was rapidly descending into real fight territory.

Grabbing the edge of the building, she whipped her feet over the ledge and into Casey's chest, careful to aim for the extra padding he'd placed there. He let her force throw him into Raph and they both went down. She grinned and pulled out her escrima sticks.

"Am I interrupting?" Raph growled and shoved Casey off of him. Turtle better keep his temper or he'd blow this. Her men were coming up behind him and he was pretending not to see, so he was still on board for now.

They jumped the turtle and she fought not to laugh, knowing that they were in for quite the beat down whether or not Raph had instructions to hold back. Served them right.

Casey had his hockey stick out and was circling her. Now she had to focus. This had to be just right, no matter how much Raph was distracting the others. It needed to look real, but she wasn't going to let her new brother get hurt no matter the cost. It was a fine line she needed to walk here.

They followed the choreography, trading blows as they'd practiced over and over again, appearing evenly matched. She knew Raph was keeping track, even as he brought the hurt to her companions, waiting for his signal.

She reached the end of her dance with Casey and Raph let out a fake cry of pain, acting as though someone had landed a real blow on him. They were arrogant enough to believe it. Here it goes. Casey turned his full attention towards his comrade and called out.

"Raph!" Then she spun around to close the distance between them, landing a powerful kick to the padding of his chest. The force of it lifted him up and back. For a split second he seemed to hover just beyond the building ledge. And then gravity began to claim him.

"Casey!" The strain in Raph's voice wasn't feigned as he threw off his attackers and charged over the ledge. Latching onto Casey, he spun his body to throw him back over onto the building.

As Casey skidded to a halt at Angel's feet, pretending to be out cold, she watched Raph fall helplessly into the alley. Please don't let his aim be off. He landed with a loud whump into the dumpster where they'd layered three old mattresses beneath the garbage camouflage and she internally sighed with relief. One hurdle passed.

She opened her pack and pulled out some chain that Donnie had adjusted, careful not to reveal how compromised it was by breaking it, and tied Casey up. She began to bark orders at her bruised and bloodied minions.

"You get him down into the alley and you two pull that thing out of the dumpster!" As much as they hated her, they didn't dare screw this us and readily complied. Once more on ground level, she used her second chain to secure Raph.

"Get the van!" She tossed the keys to one of the Dragons at random and pulled out her phone. Well her phone now. It had been Casey's until he demanded a T-phone from Donnie, who had then modified Casey's old phone to be secure for her use. It wasn't as fortified or versatile as the T-phones, but much less identifiable which suited her purposes.

"Hun, things have gone unexpectedly well tonight. You're going to want to meet me at our north end safe house in ten to inspect your prize." The van pulled up and she tucked the phone away, knowing full well that calling Hun directly was a bold move. He'd find a subtle way to punish her for it, to show the other lieutenants about respect, but underneath it all, he liked her boldness. Bold people got things done.

"Get them in the van. We need to move."

* * *

Raph hated this. Throwing fights was absolutely not his style. But the only other one who could have done it was Mikey, with Donnie and Leo out of commission, and the thought of Mikey trussed up in chains in the back of a Dragon van, staged or not, made his shell crawl like it was full of cockroaches. No. No way was he putting his little brother at this kind of risk.

Besides, it was more believable for him to be running with Casey anyway. He just hated to throw a fight. They were gonna think that he was weak after this. Well, he'd just double the hurt in the future to set them straight. Angel would give him the ones who deserved it most.

The van screeched to a halt and the doors opened. This was the part where he needed to start regaining consciousness. Gritting his teeth, he tried letting out a groan that he hoped sounded authentic. He hated acting.

Of course, Alopex would come up with a plan based on lies and deceit. That was totally her kunoichi style. But it wasn't how he did things. He just wanted to punch the evil out of the bad guys. Why was he even doing this?

Slash. He'd seen how Slash looked at Ninjara. He knew that look. Had probably been wearing it enough himself recently when he was sure no one was looking. He understood completely. Slash had to do this for her and so he had to do this for Slash.

That and he was helping Angel with her ultimate take down of the Dragons. Knowing that for each person he saved from them, there were likely five more that hadn't been, had never sat well with him. He needed her to succeed in this. Assuming he could trust her. Casey thought so. Angel might be iffy, but Casey at least was trustworthy.

He let out another moan, more real as it was in response to his actual frustration. Someone grabbed his bandana and yanked his head up to look at Hun. Who wore sunglasses at night anyway? Hun smirked.

"Good job Angel. The Shredder will be pleased. From what I've heard, I'm surprised you could sneak up on this one." Angel shrugged casually.

"It wasn't that hard. He was busy talking to his friend about some mutant fox girl." The Hun froze and turned to look at her. Raph could almost hear Alopex in his head.

 _"_ _After what I did to the Shredder and Karai, you better believe there's a bounty on my head."_

Hun's eyes narrowed and Angel straightened up under their scrutiny.

"What did you say?"

"They were having a really intense conversation about some mutant fox girl who supposedly has information on the Shredder." Hun towered over her and Raph wasn't entirely sure the trepidation she tried to hide was an act.

"Tell me what they said."

"You know that other mutant vigilante group. They've got her and are going to interrogate her about the Shredder to get revenge for something."

"Where are the other mutants keeping this fox girl?" Angel regained some of her confidence.

"Didn't say, but I bet he knows." Hun strode over to him and grabbed him up by the plastron, an impressive task as Raph was anything but light. He raised his hand in preparation for a strike that Raph could tell would really do a lot of damage if it landed.

"Tell me where she is turtle!" Alopex's remembered instructions were in his head again.

 _"_ _Make them work for it, or they won't believe it."_

He spit up at Hun, unable to get him in the face, he had to settle for the chest.

"Bite me! I'm not afraid of you!" One of the Dragon minion's hand appeared with a cloth to wipe away the gob of saliva.

"Oh you will be, turtle, you will be." Before he could unleash the strike, Angel intervened.

"Wait!" Hun glared at her.

"Why?" She lifted Casey by the scruff of his neck, who was blinking his eyes open in mild surprise.

"I have a better idea."

"Oh and what is it girl?"

"Why don't we see how tough he is when we're punishing his little friend for his silence?"

"The hockey boy? So we have him too." Hun's grin was a little too gleeful for Raph's comfort. He'd known there was some kind of personal grudge between the two, but hadn't realized the extent of it. This was more dangerous than he realized. His fear must have shown on his face because Hun was laughing now.

"Clever girl." Angel pulled out one of her escrima sticks and Raph winced at each blow. He knew that she was hitting the padding, but Casey's grunts and gasps of pain amid the muffled curses sounded real enough to him.

Finally the Hun became impatient and shoved Angel aside. When he lifted Casey up by a fistful of his cut off hoodie, Raph could've sworn his grin was unnaturally wide, like some nightmarish clown.

"I'm going to enjoy this hockey boy." He drew his fist back and Raph knew he was going to go for Casey's throat. As strike that could possibly be lethal. The panic in his voice was completely real when he shouted.

"Don't!" Hun glanced over at him.

"Oh?"

"I'll tell you, just…put him down." Hun tossed Casey aside, like so much trash and approached Raph again, tapping his foot impatiently.

"The abandoned tire factory by the water treatment plant." Hun turned to the other Dragons.

"Pack this one up for the Shredder. Hockey boy is mine to punish."

"Wait! I told you!"

"I never said I wouldn't hurt him anyway."

Windows broke above and in dropped Mikey, Venus and Karai.

"What's this?" Hun's voice was furious. Angel snapped her head to the minions.

"What did you do with the turtle's phone when you pulled it out of the dumpster?" Blank looks covered their faces.

"Phone?" One ventured tentatively.

"You should have taken and destroyed his phone. They can track each other with those. I should not have had to tell you that!" Karai unleashed several shruiken into the hanging lights overhead and with a spray of sparks, the room fell into darkness. Flexing his muscles, Raph split his chains. Time to make up for having to throw that fight earlier.

* * *

Casey hit the ground hard as the Hun tossed him aside. He'd added in the extra padding, but he was still going to be covered in welts and bruises after this. He slid the protective piece of leather back over the nail that he'd added to the inside of his glove. He'd been jabbing his palm into it with each of Angel's hits to make sure that no one uncovered her bluff. Sore or not, he was pretty sure that she'd been holding back on his behalf and he wasn't about to let his poor acting skills blow her cover. Donnie could fix it up later.

For a moment, he just lay there, gathering himself after the beating he'd allowed to happen. At least their turn was over and he didn't need to hold back anymore. Suddenly the lights went out and he knew it was time. It took a couple tries, but he broke the chain and got to his feet, just as Raph reached his side and dropping his equipment next to him.

Mikey had the minions while Raph and Karai took Hun. Venus would have a mock battle with Angel to keep up appearances. Much as he wanted to lay into Hun, he knew that he couldn't leave Mikey to his own devices. Despite all the teasing, Raph was very protective of his little brother.

Snapping a glow stick that he had stashed in his pocket, he threw it towards the "Booyakasha!" that he'd just heard. Limited as it was, it illuminated enough that he could see Mikey fling one Dragon, wrapped in his brand new kusari-gama chain, down onto a wooden table, while he back flipped away from the strike of another. Right into the range of the third one. But he never had a chance to hit Mikey as a puck to the forehead took him down.

"Goongala!" Then Mikey spun and chucked the last minion hard into the nearby brick wall, effectively ending their portion of the fight. Well that was disappointing. A hissing voice called out.

"Retreat!"

"I don't take orders from you!" At least Raph was being believable. Gratifying as it would be to take Hun down right now, doing so would ruin all their hard work for the night.

"We're loose Raph, let's book!"

"Agh, fine."

* * *

Angel glanced around, clutching her ribs as though she'd taken some serious body shots, as Hun flicked open his lighter, looking very much worse for wear. The three minions were down for the count. She grimaced.

"They got away! I can catch them!"

"No. We have the location of the fox girl. Fox girl is our priority. Call in some reinforcements to meet us there. We move now!"

* * *

Slash paced in agitation. He didn't like this plan and especially didn't like that it came from Alopex, but if they all lived through this and it worked maybe he'd be able to forgive what she'd done to Ninjara.

He hoped none of the enemy noticed how makeshift this lair was. They'd thrown it together fast and made it out of things they wouldn't mind losing in a fight. Although, honestly, Rockwell was the only one who had much in the way of personal possessions.

This was a dangerous thing to ask of them to help her, but they'd all volunteered before he got the request out. Sometimes it still awed him that could have such companions. He didn't deserve them but was grateful nonetheless.

Rockwell cleared his throat and he knew he should stop acting so suspicious or their enemies would catch on. They turtles had already notified them that the Dragons were on their way.

Leatherhead was curled up in the corner napping. Pete was pecking away at a box of pizza crusts that Mikey had generously offered him during the fake lair set up and Rockwell was using his telekinetic powers to play chess against himself. Slash needed to find a way to act natural too. For some reason, he couldn't think about what he would normally do.

Maybe that's because Ninjara knelt chained up in another corner, covered in bandages that smelled of fox blood. He remembered arguing over that.

"For this to work, it will need to seem like you are holding her captive." Slash let out a rumbling growl but Alopex didn't flinch. "We've never done that before, why would we start now?"

"After what they did to you and Rockwell, they'll be expecting payback of some sort. Capturing and interrogating one of theirs is not outside of the realm of possibility."

"Interrogating?"

"She'll need to look pretty rough, as though she's been refusing to answer."

"What!? Why can't we just act like Rockwell was getting the info? She wouldn't need to look hurt for that?" Alopex raised an eyebrow.

"He can do that?" Slash clamped his mouth shut, suddenly uncomfortable sharing his team's secrets with someone he didn't trust at all.

"Interesting, but irrelevant. A couple of reasons. One, they don't know he can do that and it should probably stay that way. As far as their concerned he moves things with his mind and stuns enemies. Two, she's been long enough, that you're going to need a less 'efficient' interrogation for this to be believable. Understand?"

"We are not hurting her?" He spoke through clenched teeth.

"Of course not. She just needs to look like she's hurt. Muss up her fur some, maybe rub it with something so she smells like she hasn't had a chance to get clean in a while. Wrap her in some bandages."

"You think no one's going to notice that she's not really hurt?"

"Well not if she does a good job of acting hurt. And if her bandages smell of fox blood." His eye twitched.

"Oh relax. We won't even use hers. I've got fox blood too. We'll just soak her bandages in my blood before wrapping her up."

"You'd do that?"

"Yeah, so don't screw this up." He shook off the memory.

April and Alopex had spent a lot of time and effort making Ninjara up and, Alopex's blood or not, it looked and smelled real to him, making it difficult to maintain control.

Frustrated, he plopped down across from Rockwell, who glanced up at him in surprise. What? He had a general idea of how the game was played. The castle things moved in straight lines, right? He picked one up and knocked over one of Rockwell's horses. Rockwell chuckled and used one of the small pieces that reminded him of Hershey kisses to knock down his castle as though that made any sense. At least this was distracting him.

The doors burst open and he let out a relieved sigh. At least the waiting was over. Angel followed Hun in, flanked by Rahzar and Fish Face. With his keen senses, Rahzar located Ninjara first and growled.

"That's not the one we're looking for." Spike stood, knocking the chess game over, and hefted his mace. Stick to the script.

"Good. She's ours. Now get lost." Fish Face shook his head.

"No, she's ours. We can't just let you have our things. And who knows, maybe you do know where to find what we're looking for." Slash ground his teeth. He did not like the way they were talking about Ninjara.

"Looking for me boys?" Everyone glanced up to see Alopex in the rafters. Slash's growl upon sighting her was genuine.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to treat me after I brought you such a lovely gift?"

"You left with your life. What more do you want?"

"I'm safer here than being hunted and you know you're going to fight them anyway." Slash snorted.

"I think I'll just let them take you." She dropped down behind Ninjara and raised a kama to her thickly bandaged throat.

"If you want your vengeance you will, or I swear I'll take her back from you." Slash growled again and involuntarily clenched his fists. Not real. Don't lose it.

"So be a good boy and put up a good fight for me?" She played a very realistic villain. Probably because she was one. Their plan depended on that after all. He remembered pointing out that flaw.

"You really think they'll believe we're going to kill her. We don't even kill in battle and they're just going to buy that heroes will slay a bound, unarmed captive?" Alopex chuckled dryly.

"Heroes huh? I guess that's true. But to answer you. No. They'd never believe that you'd kill her."

"So…"

"But they'll believe it of me." Rahzar, Fish Face, Hun and Angel charged forward and Slash was suddenly back in the present.

Slash went for Rahzar. They were both large, powerful, agile and trained in ninjas. It was an even match and he wouldn't risk Rahzar against anyone else. He knew Rockwell was taking on Hun, using his telepathy to predict and avoid Hun's strikes while holding him back with telekinesis.

Leatherhead was battling Fish Face, but had difficulty using his full power against such a nimble opponent. At least he could take Fish Face's hits and keep going. Angel moved into a mock battle with Pete, whose strategy was to fly around, out of the range of her sticks and pelt her with random objects. No matter the cost, he needed to get some hits in or Alopex was dead. That would be a poor repayment to her for taking this risk on Ninjara's behalf, no matter how much she owed it.

To Rahzar's shock, he didn't dodge the next strike, allowing the wolf to dig his talons deep into his plastron and left shoulder, trying not to hear the sound of them scraping against the underside of his carapace from within his body. This was a bad injury, but he couldn't dwell on that right now.

Blocking out the pain, he swung his mace hard, knowing Rahzar wouldn't be able to pull his hand free in time to get out of the way. He howled in agony as Slash crushed his left leg and collapsed into a whimpering puddle. Slash cried out as the talons ripped out of his shoulder with a spray of blood as Rahzar fell. Block it out. No time to deal with it now.

Fish Face was completely invested in the fight with Leatherhead, knowing that he couldn't afford to get hit even once, especially as Leatherhead had lost it and was now the physical embodiment of violent instinct. It certainly didn't help that Fish Face must smell like food to him.

Dodging a series of rapid jaw snaps, Fish Face danced into Slash's range. Slash wasn't operating at full strength now and really couldn't lift his mace again, but he still had enough in him to smash the control panel on Fish Face's back, sending his robo-legs haywire. Fish Face yelped as he began to twitch, twist and flip around like crazy.

For a moment Slash thought Leatherhead might attack him. If that happened, he would be helpless. His energy was seriously waning now. But at the last second, Leatherhead's eyes flickered with recognition and he checked his strike, instead catching Slash as he fell against the mutant alligator.

Hun was screaming in rage and frustration as Rockwell held him levitated in the air. Pete let out a startled squawk as he finally allowed Angel to take him down. While he played dead, she charged Alopex who snarled at her approach.

"Not good enough Slash!" Raking the blade across Ninjara's throat, she fled as Angel chased her. Slash's chest seized in horror as he saw the bright spray of fox scented blood jet out from neck.

"Nooooo!" His scream was quite real as Ninjara slumped forward onto the filthy concrete. It's not real. Not real.

He knew how long and hard Donnie and Lisa had worked on that device and how much blood April had extracted from Alopex to make it seem real, but he didn't think it would work this well. Unable to stop himself, he struggled to get over to her, but it was like slogging through thick mud.

"Slash?" He could hear genuine concern in Rockwell's voice as he dropped Hun and levitated over to him. Before Leatherhead caught him mid fall, he saw Hun debate between pursuing Rockwell or Alopex before deciding on Alopex and dashing from the building. His vision was getting fuzzy and Leatherhead and Rockwell's voices sounded like they were underwater.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rahzar, gripping Fish Face by one of his wildly treacherous legs, dragging his companion and himself out the door, literally crawling away. They did it. They'd won. Ninjara was safe.

He finally allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness, imagining that he could hear her voice calling out his name in a terrified whisper.


	129. Chapter 127: Huntress IX

**Huntress IX:**

Alopex breathed in a lungful of fresh air, leaping freely from rooftop to rooftop as the Dragon's chased her from the streets below. She could hear the engines of their motorcycles echo through the night. They didn't know that she wasn't really prey. It felt good to hunt again.

After her efforts to save Ume…Ninjara, the outright hostility had faded into a mild distrust. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't completely let go of what she'd done to them. Especially since Leo was still healing.

At least Donnie could walk under his own power again and Lisa was well enough to resume training. She supposed part of it was that they were a family and a team and she'd always hunted solo, even when she'd been part of a pack. She just didn't fit in with them.

Her only relief was in helping Angel. A loner herself, Angel seemed to understand Alopex in a way that only Karai had been able to. Except Karai belonged with her true family now. The only place Alopex seemed to belong was leaving false trails to confound the Purple Dragons and stage elaborate fights to grow Angel's fame.

Casey and Raph helped too, but they were terrible actors and had problems with throwing fights. Alopex worked much better with Angel as though they were in sync. Besides, the Shredder rightly blamed her for the ambush debacle so hunting her down was priority. She was better bait for Angel anyway.

As her doubt grew about whether or not she could really ever belong in Karai's family, at least she could find solace and atonement in aiding Angel. This was her new purpose.

* * *

Ninjara clutched her satchel tightly to her side as she approached the airstrip. It contained everything Alopex had given her, the compound map, the GPS coordinates and all the security information.

Alopex conceded that the codes she knew where outdated, but she could describe it well enough for Donatello and Lisa to build a device to crack it once she got there. She didn't know whether to hate or be grateful towards Alopex for both getting her into this mess and getting her out of it.

If Alopex had never betrayed her then she would never have known Slash. She decided on gratitude, making their final goodbye before the start of the mission somewhat awkward.

"Alopex, I…"

"No. I owe you this."

"You were loyal in your way, following your orders."

"No, by the end you really were my friend. That makes the betrayal real."

"Alopex…" She watched as the artic fox shook off her melancholy and refocused.

"The Shredder also uses that holding facility as a warehouse to organize and sell black market goods. His New York criminal organization has turned into quite the clearing house for that business to fund his war against the turtles. He pays well for the cargo of his planes not to be inspected. Just show up, take out the Foot soldiers and his own plane will take you where you need to go."

She wanted to thank her, but couldn't get the words out. From the look in Alopex's eyes, she knew, verbal or not, that she'd been understood. But she still felt like she had to say it.

"Thank you…for helping me." Alopex smiled.

"Thank you for letting me."

Slash shifted beside her and she felt fresh stab of guilt. Whenever she closed her eyes, she replayed that moment when he'd fallen with Rockwell and Leatherhead panicking beside him. She'd thrown off her mock chains and rushed over to him, but he was already fading.

Ironic. After all the times she'd been sent out to kill him, she'd finally be responsible for his death now that they were allies. Unable to accept that, she tore off her copious bandages to plug his wound, screaming for someone to call Donatello.

Fortunately, Slash was tough, a survivor, and April had managed to get Donatello to their location in record time. She didn't know what she would have done if he'd died. Didn't want to think about how close it had come. And yet, she couldn't talk him into letting her go alone. He insisted and after what she'd already cost him, she didn't have the heart to argue. She'd just have to do a better job of protecting him this time.

Looking out, she saw four Footbots guarding the plane. Her mind flicked through several scenarios on how to best neutralize them, when all four were suddenly lifted into the air where they were held until a giant mutant alligator materialized out of the shadows, snapping them up in his jaws and crushing them into robotic pieces. What? Pete was already dragging the pieces onto the plane, to avoid any evidence being found.

"Leatherhead?" Slash sounded as confused as she was.

"You didn't think we'd let you go alone did you Slash? We're a team my friend." Slash just shook his head and smiled.

"Should have known."

"Yes, you should have." Rockwell spoke as he drifted over.

"I've adjusted the flight manifest to account for our weight. We'd best get into the cargo bay before someone notices."

Stunned, she watched the Mutanimals board. Slash, smiled down at her and gave her a wink before leading her on to the plane. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve them, but she was thankful for them and somehow she'd find a way to pay them back for their selfless kindness and courage.


	130. Chapter 128: To Overcome X

**To Overcome X:**

"Ok, I've got it. Thank goodness there was someone else in here to help me find the right box number. I can't believe this is still active."

"It better be. I paid for a full year. Ok, I can see you coming out the door. Turn left. Now move forward. Keep going. Stop. Now turn right and move forward a bit. Good. I'll move to the manhole cover in the alley and lead you down."

"Why do you even have an anonymous post office box?"

"When you disappeared, I put out a reward for information on you, but I didn't want to get stalked by any crazies who found my request on the internet. So I pretended to be an unsolved mystery sleuth and set up the box for people to send me their tips."

"Lisa, I'm really sorry about disappearing on you."

"I know and I understand why now. You can stop apologizing for it."

"I just wish that I could make it up to you."

"Get me that package and you will have."

"Ok, but someday, you really need to tell me what this is about." Yeah, that would happen when Lily was finally ready to spill about her and Mikey. She didn't want to push, but it would have been awesome to have someone to share these feelings with. Someone who understood.

Lifting the cover, she slipped out cautiously, mindful of the daylight that she'd learned to fear. She grasped Lily's hand and led her back into the safety of the dark and shadow.

* * *

Donnie looked up at the sound of someone entering his lab and wasn't entirely surprised to find that it was Lisa. She had a natural knack for physics and engineering and had begun working here on her own projects more and more. Especially after he'd glanced through her research, which had actually been pretty fascinating, and helped her set up some equipment.

What did surprise him was that instead of moving straight to her workstation, she plopped down next to him on the stool that he normally reserved for April. Unusual.

"Lisa, if this is about your retro-mutagen, I'm still working on it. There is a mountain of data to sift through from Stockman's lab and I'm also working on a project for Venus…"

He was actually doing so much for other people that he hadn't been able to pursue any of his own work lately. That was fine. As long as he was busy and the problem to be tackled was complex he'd be satisfied.

"Oh. No I'm not here about that."

"Uh…"

"I'd like your advice." Was this about her physics research?

"Do you think Raph hates me?" Donnie's jaw fell open as she blurted her question out, obviously embarrassed.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Her cheeks were pink and she avoided his eyes.

"It just seems like he can't stand me sometimes. Most of the time." Hmm, this was an interesting development. Normally he would never consider betraying a brother's secrets, but these might be extenuating circumstances. Given his standstill with April, maybe he could at least make someone else happy.

"Lisa, I know he doesn't hate you."

"But…"

"In fact, it's quite the opposite." He hoped he hadn't misjudged. If that were the case, Raph would kill him and he'd deserve it. His self-doubt vanished as Lisa's face lit up with joy and relief. He'd done the right thing.

"Really?"

"Really." He froze in absolute shock as she threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. Before he could finish processing what had just occurred and decide on the most appropriate reaction, she was gone, leaving him to wonder whether Raph would thank or pound him for this. Knowing Raph, probably both.

* * *

Alopex padded through the tunnels a few feet behind Raph. They'd both been waiting at the airstrip to see Slash and Ninjara off. Technically Raph had already wished his buddy luck, the night before, but he wanted to be sure, nothing went wrong boarding the plane. It had been a few weeks, but Slash was still recovering from his injuries.

He'd been afraid that Ninjara would leave without him, but after Rahzar had skewered him, she'd been unwilling to leave his side while he recuperated. She had tried to talk him out of joining her, but he'd insisted and she'd respected that decision. Raph was happy for them. At least things were working out for someone.

He'd been surprised to see Alopex there. There was no way she could be seeing anyone off, but he suspected that she had intended to watch unseen from the shadows to make sure all her efforts on Ninjara's behalf weren't in vain.

Angry as he still was at her even after all this time, he had to respect what she'd done for Slash and Ninjara and for Angel. She and Casey had really been picking up his slack with that while he stayed with Slash during his recovery. Maybe there was hope for Alopex yet.

They jumped the turnstiles and Alopex darted off towards the kitchen. Raph examined his sais. He'd been using them pretty heavily lately, well up until Slash's near death experience, and had to admit they'd reached the point where they needed more maintenance than he could give, no matter how great of care he took with them between battles. He'd have to take them to Donnie.

Tucking them into his belt, he made his way to the lab, hoping the brainiac wouldn't be too annoyed with the interruption. His brother had been a bit overloaded with all the injuries lately and now finally had some time to himself.

He knew very well, how important personal time was to each of the brothers and didn't want to take away more of Donnie's but he was meticulous when it came to weapon care. His sais, like Leo's katanas, weren't as replaceable as Donnie and Mikey's weapons.

The lab door was already open. He looked inside and his heart stopped for a beat or two. Donnie was frozen in his seat, looking like he'd swallowed a frog as Lisa embraced him. Of all things he would have expected of himself when confronting a problem, running away was not one of them, yet here he was fleeing from the sight at top speed.

The next thing he knew he was in the dojo, leaning on the tree for support. More than anything else, he wanted to destroy the punching bag, but it was in the living room and he couldn't go back out there. What if he saw her? What would he do?

He couldn't be mad at Donnie. It wasn't his fault. From what he saw, Donnie was a shocked as he was. And besides, he only had eyes for April. Everyone knew that. So why was Lisa throwing herself at him then?

Because they were both super-geniuses who belonged together and Donnie would realize that as soon as April finally sucked it up and told him that it was never gonna happen. Damn.

He thought he'd crushed this hope. She didn't like him, never had. But knowing that she could have a thing for one of them made it so much harder that it wasn't him. Damn!

He was actually trembling with unspent energy, knowing that he desperately needed to hit something. He had to beat these feelings away before they poisoned him against Lisa and his brother. He didn't want to hate them. Either of them.

"Hey Raph, can we talk?" He stilled completely at the sound of Lisa's voice. No, not now. He couldn't hear this now. There was too much anger. He couldn't keep it in right now. But it was too late. She was already here throwing it in his face. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"I don't really want to hear about how happy you are with Donnie."

"What?"

"I saw you throwing yourself at him. Just couldn't wait until April was out to picture huh?" The words felt like poison on his tongue as he watched her confusion morph into rage.

"You think that Donnie and I…"

"Don't deny it. You weren't exactly being subtle." She was shaking now and he thought she might hit him. It wouldn't be unwelcome. He was spoiling for a fight. But not with her, a small sane part of him screamed but somehow went unheard.

Taking whatever it was that she'd been holding behind her back, she hurled it at him and fled the room. Small and light, it bounced harmlessly off of his chest and he caught it on the way down. It was flat and rectangular and appeared to be wrapped up in old newsprint. Like a present.

Puzzled and not entirely sure if was for him, as she could have wanted to throw anything available at him in that terrible moment, he found himself opening it. It was one of the vintage martial arts magazines that he'd collected. Not just any one. It was the one Mikey had ruined. She'd replaced it for him. As a present. Why?

He stormed out of the dojo and towards her room, knowing that everyone would avoid him in the mood he was in. Without bothering knocking, he slammed the door open, causing not only her room, but the entire row of rooms to totter precariously for a moment. He stomped in and slammed it shut creating enough counterforce to prevent the catastrophic collapse. He held up the magazine.

"Why?!"

* * *

Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry. Lisa stood in her room trembling with hurt and anger, wondering how that could have gone any worse. How could he think she liked Donnie as anything other than a brother? The poor guy was clearly infatuated with April. Is that the kind of person Raph thought she was? Is that who he saw her as? Breathe. Just breathe. You aren't going to cry.

Suddenly the door slammed open and she jumped around as he stormed in holding up the magazine.

"Why?!" And now, somehow, she'd screwed up with the present. It had seemed like a good idea when she'd thought of it. The frustration of all her failed efforts overwhelmed her. Screw it!

His eyes widened as she spun around, sweeping his legs out from under him with her tail. Then as he fell, she lunged at him tackling him into one of the walls that was fortunately against the outer brick walls of the subway station.

She landed a few punches to his plastron, before he finally reacted to the assault. With a roar, he threw her to the ground and pinned her, momentarily at a loss for what to do next, he seemed to have noticed that he was straddling her and turned as red as his mask. Taking advantage of his uncertainty, she flipped him and reversed their positions. He wasn't fighting anymore. Just avoiding looking at her.

"It's ok, if you want Donnie, I just… the magazine…confused…wanted to understand." He was mumbling but she got the gist. Ugh. This was getting them nowhere. She wasn't meek or whiny or lacking confidence and neither was he. This wasn't them? How did they end up in this tangle?

So she did what she probably should have done from the start. Placing her hands on either side of his head, she pulled him up into a hard, passionate kiss. He went completely still and rigid the moment she started the kiss, but she didn't care. If she was making a mistake then at least, she'd make the most of it. Then he'd melted under her touch and returned the kiss with more enthusiasm than she'd given him credit for. Yup. Definitely should have tried this from the beginning.

* * *

Mikey wrung his hands in concern next to Lily as they stood outside her room door.

"I don't hear anything anymore. Do you think they're ok?' She raised her hand to silence him and listened carefully.

"Maybe I should go in and check on them?" He really, really didn't want to. Then Lily's cheeks turned pink and she shook her head vehemently. Grasping about wildly, she caught his hand and started no leading him away.

"No, they're fine."


	131. Chapter 129: Fallen VIII

**Fallen VIII:**

Well it was about time. Alopex sat at the dining room table munching on a sandwich and enjoying the show. Seriously, Raph and Lisa could start their own soap opera with how unnecessarily complicated they made their situation, not that watching them take turns either fleeing from or chasing after each other in fits of anger wasn't hilarious.

Well at least the lair would be less angsty for a while. The burner phone Angel had acquired for her buzzed in her hoodie pouch. She withdrew it to examine the text.

"Tonight. Eleven pm. Neutral bowling alley." Hmm. So it was finally time then? They had spent the last few weeks in an intense game of cat and mouse, strategically eliminating any gang members Angel perceived to be a problem to her future reign. Now only one remained.

* * *

She crouched atop the roof of the bowling alley and waited. The meeting would have started at eleven, but it was difficult to say how long it would run. As nominal head of the Asian gangs, aside from the Vipers who were no longer in play, Hun needed occasional administrative contact with the other leaders. Attacking him here would be the perfect chance to undermine his authority.

She carefully withdrew several shruiken from her pouch and peeled them out of the chemically damp cloths that she'd been soaking them in. Wouldn't want to accidently cut herself on these. She could hear the doors open below. Finally.

Several men exited, but she only had attention for Hun. With careful precision, she let her weapons fly. Sensing her attack, he turned and used his clawed brass knuckles to deflect most of them harmlessly aside or into his shrieking companions, but one grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. That was all she needed. Her cocktail was potent.

Furious, he leapt atop a car, used it to launch himself onto a semi-truck cab and from there landed on the roof. Alopex waited until he'd gotten on top of the cab before taking off running. She didn't want to lose him. Yet. He chased her from rooftop to rooftop, but she was naturally faster than his limited, human form and controlled the pace. She needed him to get that blood pumping and circulating.

Ten minutes later, she appeared to be cornered with nowhere else to jump to. Breathing hard, he closed in on her, smiling at his impending victory, as though merely catching up to her would be enough.

With a wicked smile, she threw down a smoke bomb and was gone, using her kama to catch herself as she dropped over the edge and flipped into a nearby open window. She could hear his scream of rage and frustration as she stealthily navigated the interior making her way to the basement. Smoke must have cleared.

Once in the basement, she slipped into a secret tunnel that she'd prepared a few weeks ago and into the sewers. After she'd traveled a safe distance through the subterranean labyrinth, she pulled out her burner cell and texted Angel.

"It's done."

* * *

Hun closed his eyes as he sat in the passenger seat of the car he'd called to retrieve him. It had been a hard chase, but he shouldn't be this tired. Something was wrong. Forcing his eyes back open, he struggled to keep a wary eye out for another ambush but his vision was more blurry than it should have been. He needed to get back to headquarters. There was something off about tonight.

He knew the drive was less than five minutes, but it seemed much longer as he waited. Entering the building, the hairs on his neck stood up, alerting him that something was amiss. Everyone was gathered in the main space that he used for gang wide announcements. What was this?

The crowd parted as he moved through towards the center, where Angel stood waiting, the escrima sticks she held, resting on her shoulders. Betrayal? From his most skilled and loyal lieutenant?

"What is the meaning of this?" She smiled at him.

"Hun, I challenge you for the leadership of the Dragons."

"Why you…I raised you up from nothing!"

"Did you think that I would be content to be your underling forever?"

"So that's how it is girl."

"It is. So will you fight or concede defeat right now?" Unwilling to dignify that with a response, he took a fighting stance and let out a shrill cry to pump himself up for battle. He would teach this little girl the price of treachery. If only he didn't feel so sluggish and his eyes would focus. Why?

Of course. The fox girl and her attack. He touched the slice along his cheek. So they were in league? Good, when he took her down, he'd make her hand over his prize to him. And she too would pay for the humiliating weeks of chase they'd played. The Shredder hadn't specified what condition he wanted her in besides alive.

He charged in towards her, furious that he was not moving at top speed. His arm shot forward with an open palm strike, but she arched backwards just underneath it, swinging one stick up, to knock his arm further from her while the other one arced into his torso, but even with his hindered accuracy, he caught it before the strike landed.

But she was already moving again, spinning around to land a hit on his kidneys with her free stick, but he got his arm down in time to block it, though doing so sent an electric surge of pain straight up to his shoulder.

He yanked on the stick he'd caught, intending to pull her pretty little face into the clawed points of the brass knuckles on his injured hand, but she released the stick and he stumbled back, off balance for less than a second. But that was all she needed to take out his knees with her remaining stick.

He landed hard on his back and the stick he held clattered across the cement floor, away from him. Drugged as he was, he swung his feet around and under him, managing a crouch before she could capitalize on her hit. But she was already committed, swinging her stick towards his face in the hopes of driving his nose into his brain like deadly spike.

But he got his uninjured hand up in time to deflect the attack aside with brass knuckles, using the claws to tear the stick out of her hand and send it flying. His injured hand shot out to bury his claws into her gut, but she evaded by flipping over him, using his own shoulders as leverage.

Landing in a somersault, she rolled to the stick that he'd dropped and scooped it up. But he was already up and after her. Her fingers had barely closed around the wood when he was on her, but he was slower and less coordinated than he should have been and she evaded his kick. Still crouched, she spun inside his reach and rammed the end of her stick into his solar plexus. He sank to the ground, cursing the foxed her and her drugged throwing stars.

Knowing that a lethal blow would follow, he did the one thing he never ever thought he would. He smashed one of the smoke bombs that the Foot had given him while pressing the emergency button on is belt.

He could sense her back up cautious of the reduced visibility as the two Footbots that perpetually shadowed him, grabbed him up and fled the room with him before the smoke could finish clearing. One day he would repay her for this indignity. If it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Angel cursed as he disappeared. Not that she especially wanted his blood on her hands, but as long as he lived, he would be a serious threat to her. What she'd done could not easily be forgiven. Well, it was a danger she'd have to live with.

Much as it galled her to drug him before the challenge, it had been the right call. She was relatively certain that she could not have done that if he'd been running on all cylinders. As it was the fight had been too close for comfort. But it was worth it. She'd won.

"Hun!" The crowd cheered and she raised her hands to quiet them.

"That title is retired. Address me as you always have." They looked around in confusion before cheering out "Angel!" She allowed them to chant it. One approached her and the crowd silenced.

"When should we tell the Shredder?"

"We will not be contacting the Shredder anymore. He is no longer our ally." The crowd gasped as her announcement echoed through the building.

"There's going to be some changes around here."

* * *

Alopex sat on the ledge of a building near the Jones apartment, dangling her legs off the edge and waiting. If Angel had survived, she would be heading back here soon to let Casey know the good news.

She didn't really expect any acknowledgement from Angel, but had a vested interest in how things turned out. One way or another, she wanted to know. And truth be told, she was a bit concerned over the girl's welfare. Her friendship with Angel was the only one her life that she hadn't managed to screw up and if the Angel died she would feel the loss keenly.

Someone approached from behind and she spun around, kama at the ready, until she caught Angel's scent. Huffing in relief, she lowered the weapon.

"It worked then?" Angel shrugged.

"For the most part. Hun got away." Alopex frowned.

"That's going to be a problem."

"Yes. But for now, the Dragons are mine and starting tomorrow night we'll be out protecting the city from other gangs and petty criminals." Alopex laughed.

"Who will be left for Casey and Raph to take on now?" Angel smiled.

"It's a big city. I'm sure we can learn to share." Alopex shook her head.

"Only you could have done this." Angel put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not without you I couldn't have." They stood quietly like that for a moment as Angel considered her what words to use.

"Thank you Alopex. I know that you're teamed up with the turtles right now, but I was hoping that you'd join up with me. I could use your help with this."

It felt as though a heavy burden was lifted from her shoulders. The lair was stifling, she was not a team player and everyone was still actively working to not be hostile towards her for Karai's sake. Her atonement might be the path that she'd chosen for herself, but her life with them had become a prison. Angel's offer had opened a door to freedom for her. Grinning, she responded.

"When can I move in?"


	132. Chapter 130: Defying Fate VII

**Defying Fate VII:**

April walked Shad back up to Casey's apartment. The ebullient young girl had been a welcome addition to the lair in recent weeks. It was kind of like having an extra Mikey, which while occasionally annoying was also kind of fun.

After meeting April, the Shad had been dropping less than subtle hints about also being trained as a kunoichi. Master Splinter still hadn't given her an answer to that yet, so April usually walked with her to and from the lair to ensure that she was safe. Not that Mikey and Donnie weren't following from the rooftops above.

Normally Raph would be with them, but tonight he was preoccupied with Lisa. April couldn't stop grinning over that. Her brothers deserved some happiness after all they'd done for the city and the world. Too bad her own love life couldn't be so simple.

Just thinking about it soured her mood. She hardly ever saw Casey anymore, now that he had a gorgeous new vigilante roommate and every time she tried to hang out with him, he always said that Angel needed him. Anger warred with despair as she wondered whether she'd waited too long and lost her chance with him. What would she do if he wanted Angel now instead?

Lost in thought, she realized that they were already at the apartment as Shad pulled out her key to let herself in. The door opened to a whoop of joy within and Casey swinging Angel around in a big hug. Overcome with a strange sense of detachment, she turned around and walked away.

It didn't quite seem real, like moving in a dream without actually getting anywhere, except that she was already almost to the lobby. She wasn't sure if this was shock or denial, but there was definitely some kind of mental barrier between her and her emotions for which she was grateful. Life was going to suck when it broke down, leaving her with no protection from brutal, unforgiving reality.

"Hey Red, wait up. Come back and celebrate with us." She stopped walking at the sound of his voice. He couldn't be serious. Why would he do this to her? Maybe he didn't know. She'd never given him any sign of her true feelings.

Maybe he'd given up and accepted being friend-zoned. And him believing that would be no one's fault but her own. She could still be his friend, she hoped. In time. For now, the best she could give was civil. Taking a long breath, she turned slowly to face him. He looked puzzled.

"No thanks. I was just dropping Shad off. I'm sure you and Angel will be really great together, but I've got to get home now." She hoped her smile wasn't as brittle as it felt and knew that her eyes glistened with tears that she refused to let fall. One of his hands grabbed her shoulders.

"Red look at me." Not wanting to, she forced her eyes to meet his. His gaze was serious and intense.

"Angel took down the Hun and the Dragons. That's what we're celebrating tonight."

"Oh."

"You know that she's a sister to me, right?"

"But…"

"There's nothing like that between us. There's only ever been one girl for me. You have to know that." His gaze softened, rendering her speechless.

"You know that right?" She nodded. How could she have ever doubted?

"And until you figure out where things stand between you, me and Donnie, I'll be right here." But she knew exactly where things stood. She had for a while now, but had been too afraid to do anything about it. And that wasn't fair to any of them.

"I know that you love him, but…" No more uncertainty.

"Of course I love him. He's my best friend and my brother." Casey's eyes widened. Reaching up, she pulled him down to her into the kiss they'd both been waiting on for months and it felt like fireworks going off in her soul. It had never been this good in her dreams. Their lips parted and he gave her that cocky gap toothed grin before pulling her into an embrace.

"I've got to tell Donnie."

* * *

Donnie sat on the couch, taking in the scene. Mr. Jones looked at Angel with a mix of amazement and profound terror as she related the demise of the Purple Dragon gang and the rise of the Purple Dragon vigilantes, while Shadow clung to her happily. Donnie had seen that blend of pride and concern on his own father's face a number of times. Parenthood must be hard. Especially on the parents of young heroes.

Mikey was searching through Casey's music collection to find appropriate victory dance party music. Too bad, Raph and Leo couldn't be here. Well Leo anyway. Raph was probably quite happy where he was.

It was nice to kick back and celebrate for change. This had been a rough month. He was just grateful that mutants seemed to regenerate from injury a lot more readily than humans. Aside from Leo, and probably Slash, his family was recovered, while Mr. Jones still moved gingerly.

Poor Leo always seemed to get the worst of it. But his shell was fusing back together nicely. There'd be scars, but his brother would soon be in fighting form again. And it couldn't come too soon. Frustrated with the pace of his healing, Leo had been acting distinctly Raph-ish lately.

Where were Casey and April anyway? He'd expected to see both of them when Shadow had waved them in from the window. Then the door opened and they entered, hand in hand, clearly surprised to see the turtles.

Donnie was smart. His brain easily processed the change between them, but his heart was not so logical. Unwilling to face this moment, he jumped up, threw himself out the window and scrambled up to the roof.

Once there, he fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself frantically considering all possible alternative explanations for what he'd seen. There were many, but all had very low probabilities. Still he desperately wanted to cling to one of them.

"Donnie." April's voice behind him was like a spear through his heart. He didn't want to have this conversation right now. Or ever.

"We need to talk." No. We don't. Please. She crouched in front of him, and he couldn't look at her. It hurt too much. She took his large hands in hers.

"I'm so sorry I waited this long. I should have said something much sooner, but I didn't want to hurt you. You're my best friend and my brother and I love you. I'm just sorry that it can't be the way you want me to." To his shame, a strangled sob burst forth from his throat. This was officially the worst night of his life.

"I'll understand if you need some space from me, but I'll always be your friend as long as you want me to." He knew she wanted some acknowledgement that things were going to be ok between them, that they would survive this, but he didn't have anything to give. Before he could shame himself further, he ripped his hands free of hers and took off running, trying not to hear as she called out after him.


	133. Chapter 131: Brotherhood XIV

**Brotherhood XIV:**

Venus looked around in Donatello's lab, cheerful from another pleasant training session with Leonardo. He had an unusual capacity to control his chi, a gift really. It still didn't come close to her or her brother, but their power was a responsibility bestowed on the family line from Heaven. For anyone else, such mastery was a rare and incredible thing.

Still, he was itching to get back into his normally training schedule and as his body healed, he'd been slowly focusing more and more on the physical aspect of his training. Soon her time with him would be fleeting. Maybe, after she'd finished her mission, she would be free to pursue her heart in this matter. For now, she would take whatever fate deigned to give her.

Hmm, Donatello must still be out with April and Shadow. He'd said that he wanted to test out the energy tracking device he'd been working on for her. It had been a strange experience.

Neither of them knew how science and mysticism would meet when they'd started this project, but he'd eventually lined up her abilities with some theories in something called Quantum Physics. Beyond that the words he started using had become increasingly incomprehensible and she'd given up trying to follow what he was saying.

All she knew was that he had an idea and that he'd been sounding his thoughts on the matter off of Lisa now and again, until he'd created something called a prototype. But he needed to see if it would detect her energy before it could be attuned to tracking down the Dragonlord.

She and Master Splinter had narrowed down the search radius as much as possible, but it was still too big. If Donatello's device worked, she could probably finish the hunt in the next week or so.

Then she'd need a way to temporarily contain and transport the monster back to the mirror. Maybe Donatello could help her with that too, translating her esoteric explanation of the process into something that he could practically apply.

There was a clatter of noise outside the garage door that could not be a ninja for its absolute lack of stealth. She tensed for battle, fearing an intruder, although how one would get through Donatello's security, recently upgraded after the Angel and Shadow incident, she didn't know.

Then a blur of green and purple rushed in and Donatello threw himself onto one of the cots in the corner sobbing. She didn't know what to do. Maybe she should leave or get one of his brothers. Surely Leonardo would know what comfort he needed.

But she'd shut the door upon entering, a habit she now regretted as there was no way to open it without revealing her presence. Perhaps she could sneak out the garage door. It was still open from when he came rushing in. Or should she stay and comfort him? Would he want her help?

He was proud. She knew he was. Would he want her to see him like this? Would he want any of his brothers to see him like this? It couldn't be helped that she was already here, but it would be on her if she exposed him further. Should she leave him alone? But she couldn't just leave him like this and pretend that it never happened. Abandoning him was cowardly.

Words failed her and likely would have even if she wasn't using a second language. Without knowing what else to do, she sat down next to him and pulled him into an embrace, gently rubbing his shell. He froze and panicked for a moment before his pain got the best of him and he continued weeping into her plastron.

* * *

This was unquestionably the worst night of his short life, which said a lot, considering that included the night of the invasion when Leo had almost died and they'd fled New York as failures. He just wanted to curl up alone in his shell and die. And so he'd bolted in a blubbering mess to his lab, his sanctuary. But there was no peace for him here. He was just as miserable as he'd been on Casey's roof.

Suddenly, someone was holding him and he was stunned to see Venus on the cot beside him. That's right. He was supposed to test the tracker he'd made for her. Of course she had to see him like this. Because the night wasn't humiliating enough already.

For a moment he considered fleeing into the tunnels. But there was no derision or pity in her expression, just patience and sincere concern. And the truth was that he didn't really want to be alone right now. Her hand rubbing his shell in smooth circles was not unpleasant and she smelled peaceful, like the incense she lit while meditating.

Letting go of his pride, he poured all his sorrow into her and let her fill the empty space it left with tranquility. He remained like that in her arms long after his tears were spent until completely exhausted, he finally dozed off.

* * *

Something shifted in her arms, drawing her from her slumber and Venus fluttered her eyes open. She was in the lab, sitting on a cot with her shell against the wall. Donatello lay across her lap with her arms around him. The previous night came back to her in a rush just as he came fully awake.

She didn't move, giving him a moment to orient himself, he stiffened and shoved himself upright and off of her, frantically trying to readjust his twisted bandana over his red rimmed eyes while blushing furiously.

He wouldn't look at her and she began to wonder if she'd made a mistake in trying to comfort him herself. Well what's done could not be undone. She'd started this path and might as well see it through to whatever end came of it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He looked at her in embarrassed horror for a moment and she winced.

"If you don't wish to, I understand, but sometimes speaking of sorrow can lessen its power. Doing so eased my suffering when my father died." He appeared stunned for a moment and then contrite.

"It's stupid. Nothing like losing a parent…I'm sorry you had to see that." Impulsively, she took his hand and he almost yanked it away as though burned, but eventually let her keep it.

"I doubt that whatever hurts you is stupid. I…I would help if I can." She thought he might brush her off again, but instead he rested his face into his free hand and sighed.

"April is in love with Casey. I've known for a while, but I just didn't want to…" He trailed off, clearly not sure how to put his denial into words. Several applicable proverbs from her homeland came to mind but she bit them back. Even if they would translate understandably, she feared they would sound trite and hollow. This was not a time to use someone else's words.

"Heartbreak is not stupid. I know you loved her dearly." He frowned.

"Did I? Wouldn't I be happy that she's happy if I did?"

"Love is both selfish and selfless. Are you truly unhappy with her joy?" He paused and considered that for a moment.

"No. I…I just wish it could have been me."

"Is she still your friend?" He nodded.

"If I want her to be?"

"Do you?" Grief crushed his expression.

"Yes, but right now I…I can't."

"Then wait, grieve and heal. She'll still be there when you're ready. You may have lost something, but not everything. Her friendship is something you can still treasure someday." He sighed and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Thank you Venus."

"If you ever wish to talk…" He cleared his throat, sat up right again and pulled his hand free. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up.

"I'll be ok. In time." She nodded, believing him. He was intelligent, resilient and good. This wouldn't ruin him.

"So, uh, let's test that tracker."


	134. Chapter 132: To Trust IX

**To Trust IX:**

Jack Kurtzman ducked into an alcove and pulled out his buzzing phone. There were only a handful of individuals who had this number, all of whom he'd drop everything to help.

"Kurtzman."

"It's Slash."

"Is everything ok with the Mutanimals? I'm pretty sure no one knows about you."

"Uh, yeah. We're good. We're actually on our way to Japan right now."

"What?"

"Jack, I need a favor."

"Name it."

"There's this colony of fox mutants that are going to need a home soon. They won't need much, maybe an isolated island somewhere. They were a fishing community off the coast of Japan when the Foot got them. I was hoping, maybe, you could find someone in the U.N. that might help."

"It's possible. I have a few allies, but exposing them to any of the world leaders is a risk."

"Not more of a risk than being outright discovered. There are too many of them and they aren't warriors. They're just people. A government needs to protect them, give them amnesty and keep them hidden."

"I'll do my best Slash, but…"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I won't leave you without a bargaining chip. You know how skilled I am, what I can do. I'll work for whoever is willing to help them in exchange for their protection. Anything they want as long as these people are kept safe."

"Slash what you're offering…"

"I know but I swear it's worth it. Will you help me?"

"Yes."

"Thanks Jack." The line went dead and Kurtzman frowned. He'd wanted to tell Slash that he didn't know what he was getting himself into with that bargain, but he suspected Slash knew full well the price. He really hoped that he meant it when he said it was worth it.

* * *

Slash moved back to the area where Ninjara and the Mutanimals slept as the plane soared across the Pacific Ocean. It had already stopped once to refuel. It was a long trip and they all wanted to be at the top of their game upon arrival. His shoulder twinged at the thought. Well as much at the top of his game as he could be.

He quietly slipped Rockwell's satphone back in his bag. For a moment, he thought he saw the scientist looking at him with narrowed eyes, but when he turned his full attention, Rockwell appeared to be asleep.

Shrugging it off, he sat down next to Ninjara. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He tucked the blanket that had started sliding off of her more firmly around her shoulders. Yes, she was absolutely worth it. Then he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.


	135. Chapter 133: To Overcome XI

**To Overcome XI:**

For the past few days, Donnie had locked himself up in his lab, leaving only to use the rest room or grab food. After sending him a text to let him know that she was sorry and there for him if he needed anything, April had mercifully left him alone.

Normally his family would be busting down his door to demand an answer for his behavior, but he suspected Venus had contrived to keep them at bay and he was grateful to her. He needed this time to himself.

And as happy as he was for his brother, he really didn't need to watch Raph cuddling with Lisa. The few times he'd left the lab out of necessity, they'd been plastered on each other. The general discomfort of everyone else, suggested that this was an ever present state and that was wonderful for Raph. Just poorly timed for him.

But he'd put the time to good use, pouring everything into his work as he'd always done under stress and for the first time, he felt like he was going to get through this. That April's friendship could be enough for him. And maybe now he could finally enjoy his friendship with Casey without it always being strained under the constant tension of their rivalry.

His mind drifted back to Raph and Lisa and the one major project that he'd finished. As much as his rude and gruff big brother got under his shell, he loved him dearly and would never do anything to intentionally hurt him, but this was not his decision to make.

Besides, love was supposed to transcend everything right? Just because April hadn't returned his love didn't mean that Raph and Lisa needed to be equally doomed. He liked her and trusted her. So he had to tell her. But he wasn't quite up to facing the full force of his concerned family just yet. With a sigh, he picked up his phone and sent her a text.

"Can I speak to you about something?"

* * *

Lisa sighed contentedly, curled up against Raph on his bean bag chair, completely blocking out how everyone besides Mikey made an effort not to stare. They were all happy of course, especially Mikey though he teased Raph mercilessly about it. Raph took it all in stride for once. He wasn't even complaining that Leo was watching old reruns of Space Heroes.

Mikey probably would have been pushing for Crognard, but the VCR wasn't working and Venus had stated in no uncertain terms that Donnie needed a little space. None of them were sure what that was about and Venus wouldn't say, but she absolutely wouldn't budge on it. Her T-phone buzzed and her jaw fell open as she read the text.

"What is it?" Raph shifted to get a look.

"Donnie wants to talk to me." Everyone glanced at each other uncertainly. Raph shrugged and started to stand up, but Venus shook her head.

"Oh, come on! He asked."

"If he wanted to see anyone else right now, he would have come out and asked." Raph huffed and sat back down. Lisa looked over at Venus with raised eyebrows only to get a wry smile in return.

"I'm sure you'll survive the separation." Blushing, she pushed herself to her feet and stomped off to the lab. By the time she pulled the door shut behind her, most of her embarrassment had faded into curiosity. Donnie was at his desk. He looked tired, but not quite as strained as he'd been on the few occasions he'd left the lab over the past few days.

"What's up? You doing ok?" He shrugged.

"Are you going to tell anyone what's going on?" He sighed.

"I suppose everyone will find out eventually."

"Find out what?"

"April's dating Casey." He stared up at her, challenging her to pity him. All she managed was a startled 'oh' as he waited.

"No one needs to worry about me. I just want to focus on my work without any distractions right now."

"Well, with sentinel Venus in place, that shouldn't be a problem." He managed a weak smile, although it didn't reach his eyes.

"So, what did you want to talk to me and only me about?" The smile faded into concern.

"I thought you should know that I figured out the formula for your retro-mutagen. Assuming we can find some more mutagen, you can be human again. It's been a little hard to find since we defeated the Kraang, but I have tech that can track it."

Lisa just stood there for a moment, stunned. She'd given up on being human again a while ago and was now fully adjusted to her lizard form. Was that what she wanted? If she was human, she could go home, finish school, and become a famous scientist as she'd always dreamed. But was that really what she wanted?

She fit in here. The feeling of belonging with this family was stronger than she'd ever known. For the first time in her life, she was doing some good, helping people. And now she had Raph. Mutant or not, she was truly happy.

"Donnie, I appreciate all the hard work you've done on that, I really do, but it's ok. I like myself the way I am?"

"Really?"

"I don't want to go back to being that spoiled, selfish rich girl that I used to be. I have everything I want right here and I'm doing more good for others this way than I ever did before. I'll explain it to my parents eventually. They deserve that much, but this is the life I want. The life I choose." Donnie let out a relieved sigh and sank back in his chair.

"Then welcome to our crazy family sis."


	136. Chapter 134: Loyalty and Honor VI

**Loyalty and Honor VI:**

Dirk rolled the garbage can sized stainless steel canister through Central Park to the isolated bench where he had arranged to meet A. J. This one bothered him. Not the way the others did. The others like that plant monster that belonged in Little Shop of Horrors or the bizarre chimera-like sea monster that sounded like a cat, disturbed him and would likely haunt his dreams for simply existing.

No, this one tugged at his conscience. True the sentient glob of garbage was no less horrifying to look upon than the others. But it helped people. That was how he'd caught it after all.

He'd shadowed the woman he'd hired through a less savory part of town in the early predawn hours. It didn't take long for someone to approach her and demand her purse. He'd been forced to stop the first three himself, but the fourth time was the charm.

Just as Joan Grody had reported, the garbage creature appeared and sent the mugger packing. But it was a powerful creature and A. J. needed it. So, from his hidden position, he'd shot three bolas into it that released powerful electric bursts once they'd latched on.

He could have sworn the expression on its inhuman face had been hurt and confusion before collapsing into a heap of refuse. Before it could recover, he'd shoveled it into the container, sealed it and paid the woman to discretely be on her way.

A. J. sat on the bench, tossing bread crumbs to pigeons. Dirk pried the lid off and dumped his captive out, into a cloud of A. J.'s spores. The waste monster rebuilt itself and looked around in anger and puzzlement.

"Who are ya? Whaddya want with me?"

"Silence." To its own surprise, it stopped talking. A. J. stood and displayed some of the photographs that the rhino and the pig had delivered.

"Are you familiar with these mutants?"

"Yeah. They're the turtlemen. My friends." A. J. smiled.

"Good. Where can they be found?"

"I don't know where they live." The smile morphed into a frown.

"Well you will keep on as the city's mutant hero, but take every opportunity you can to find their location and send it to me." The creature would know the P.O. Box address if A. J. willed it without being told. Speaking to them was more habit than necessity. They responded to his will and thoughts as far as Dirk could tell.

He understood why A. J. needed the turtle mutants. Their skill was incredible. They'd be the perfect black ops team. He just wished it didn't have to be done this way. The garbage mutant bowed.

"Of course masta. Consider it done." Then, in a sort of daze, it slunk off. A. J. turned back to Dirk.

"Our agents among the Foot are insufficient. We need ones with greater trust and access. Zeck and Steranko will meet you back at your van. Use them to get me Montes and Bradford." Dirk nodded.

"Understood."

* * *

Xever snapped angrily into his phone.

"What is it?" The Russian accent drifted in from the other end of the line.

"We have cornered fox girl in shipping crate, but she has the sneaky ninja weapons. We could use the back up." Irritated as he was at being summoned, particularly by those two fools, the idea of taking credit for Alopex's capture and delivery was too good to pass up. He checked the GPS locator.

"I'll be there in five." Swinging his robotic legs over the seat of the chopper, he revved the motorcycle a few times before zooming off. The night was off to a good start. He actually made it to Steranko's location in a little over three minutes. What cop would pull him over after all?

Zeck and Steranko were pacing outside of a closed shipping container. How had Alopex managed to get herself caught there? She was a wily opponent. Something wasn't right. Likely the stupidity of Zeck and Steranko for believing that they'd trapped her. It wouldn't hurt to check inside though, just in case. He approached the container door cautiously.

Not noticing the rapidly approaching, meaty rhino fist until it collided hard with the side of his head. He fell hard skidding across the ground. What was this? Swinging his robotic legs around, he was on his feet in an instant, although his head was still ringing. Where was Zeck? He barely had time to wonder before a hail of laser blasts shot forth from an unseen source.

He agilely dodged most of them, but two hit him in the chest, searing his flesh and momentarily stunning him. That was all the time it took. Steranko was on him, pinning him to the ground with impossibly heavy weight. Just as he began to struggle his way free, the rhino grabbed the base of his legs where they attached to his spine and nervous system and tore them free from his body with a powerful yank.

He was pretty sure his scream could have been heard in Manhattan. Panting heavily from the intense, crippling pain, he was only semi-conscious and barely aware when an expensive black car pulled up and someone got out. There was something in the air, irritating his skin.

"Be still." The voice commanded and somehow he obeyed. His body was still on fire and should have been writhing involuntarily but at this man's words, it stopped. Not that holding still was doing anything for his pain.

"Once they take you back and get you fixed up, you will deliver Bradford to me." He opened his mouth to hurl curses at the man in every language that he knew, but all that came out was

"Yes, master."

* * *

Bradford simmered as he wallowed in his room, leg in a cast from ankle to hip. He knew that he should be grateful. If he weren't a mutant, the injury would have been permanently crippling. With his regeneration, he'd be back up to full strength in a few months.

That didn't change the fact that he'd been stuck here, completely useless, for weeks. Stir-crazy and irritable, his only consolation was in the knowledge that Stockman would be removing the cast tomorrow.

He'd need a crutch and a brace and would have to be careful not the reinjure the shattered bones that were knitting themselves back together, but at least he'd be able to move under his own power again. The door to his room opened and he growled as the odious scent of fish permeated his living space.

"I'm not interested in any well-wishers Xever." Ignoring him, Xever sidled up to his bed.

"And why would you think that I would be a well-wisher?" Bradford ground his teeth and turned away.

"Then why are you here?" He saw the attack out of the corner of his eye, but it was too late. He hadn't been prepared at all and was in no condition to move with his usual deadly speed and agility.

Xever plunged the syringe deep into his uninjured thigh, depressing the plunger as he did so. With a howl, Bradford swung his arms to slash the slimy traitor into sushi, but the fish's mechanical legs were too fast and he was out of range.

Before Bradford could strike again. The room began to spin and he slumped over. His sluggish limbs wouldn't obey him. The last thing he remembered before consciousness fled was Xever hoisting him over his slick, scaly shoulder.

* * *

Bradford moaned and pried his heavy lids open. He'd been dumped on a concrete floor at some man's feet. For the moment all he could see were expensive shoes and suit pants. Ones that he might have worn a long time ago in another life. When he'd been a wealthy celebrity instead of freak. Feeling a surge of anger at this man, he meant to disembowel him with his claws.

Except his body didn't move. He tried to get up, but his body didn't move. None of his mental orders were heeded by his limbs. What was this?

"Look at me." Unable to stop himself, he tilted his head up and gazed at the man's features. They were wrong, but close enough to right to have a creepy and disturbing effect on him. The man reminded him of an animate department store mannequin.

"Welcome Bradford. Before I send you back to spy for me, I'm going to need you and Montes to tell me everything you know about the Shredder's operations and these mutant turtles that he wants so badly. To his shame and frustration, Bradford did.


	137. Chapter 135: What Lies in Shadow IX

**What Lies in Shadow IX:**

The Shredder's eyes, his only visible feature with the Kabuto on, narrowed at her as Kitsune swept into the room and bowed low before him. Riding high on his presence, she didn't care what the Shredder did or thought, though she knew that was a dangerous attitude until success was assured. But it had been so long since she could luxuriate in his nearness. But she needed to focus now. Soon he would be hers and all hers forever.

"You have not been as useful as you promised to be Kitsune."

"But I have master." She spread the talismans out before her. He sat, not quite patiently waiting. She released her hold on the power and the bound spirit within each talisman manifested before her.

"Wind." At first a small tornado, it coalesced into a green, sleek and featureless humanoid shape. Air swirled violently around its limbs and body.

"Water." A surge of liquid, like a wave became a smaller, blue but similarly shaped creature whose form shifted and flowed with the fluidity of water.

"Fire." A gout of flame became a larger, orange being whose body burned with the fire now dancing off every part of his new form.

"Metal." Liquid mercury flowed into a small, gray delicate form of a hidden being wielding a staff, double bladed at both ends.

They all wore versions of traditional samurai armor formed from each of their elements, except for metal. Only metal's glowing red eyes were visible from within the clam shaped helmet and its physical body could hardly be glimpsed as it was buried under layers of metal plating shaping it like a pine tree or a hay stack.

"Demonstrate your powers for the master."

Wind stepped up and the room howled with a violent tempest. It enacted several impossibly rapid kicks and punches, before moving around the room, too fast for the eye to follow. Then it flew to the center of the room, hovering as the storm raged around it, before setting back down it its original place, allowing the room to calm once more.

Water approached next. From it flowed rivers of water that pooled across the floor. Some of the water levitated upwards into bubbles that became a variety of shapes and size before freezing solid. Ice spires shot up from both the creature's self-generated water on the floor and through the glass that ran along either side of the room, summoned from the preexisting water below to lance up and shatter the hovering ice shapes. Water stepped back into its place.

It was Fire's turn next. The floor scorched under each step it took. It raised its arms out to the side and blasts of flame shot outward before reducing down to searing whips that could reach all throughout the room. The whips vanished in a puff of smoke and instead, explosive fireballs blasted out of its palms, decimating the sides of the room and shattering the remaining glass in the flooring.

It stepped back and Metal took its place. It began a series of perfect weapon katas, transforming its hands and body parts into the variety or weapons needed to demonstrate the plethora of weapon styles, occasionally ejecting an assortment of metal projectile weapons with incredible force and accuracy.

Metal embodied human violence bound with rigid and absolute control. Kitsune could tell it was the Shredder's favorite. When Metal had stepped back into line, Kitsune spoke again.

"With these medallions they are yours to control. Each elemental being delivered its medallion to the Shredder before humbly stepping back. He didn't need to know that the medallions were not in fact the source of control, but merely the binding. Her power captured them and to her will they responded. She silently commanded them to obey the Shredder, for now, making his orders second only to her own.

"While these are fine weapons Kitsune, they are not what you promised me."

"There remains one more. Earth. You said the turtles and their rat are hidden underground. They are within Earth's element and will not be able to hide from it. Earth will sense them and guide you to their lair, where all five can subdue or decimate them as you will it.

"The bedrock deep under this city is old. I must go to the deepest point that I can and draw it out, binding it to your will. Grant me the aid of the other four in this task and I will deliver your enemies to you." The Shredder practically vibrated with excitement as he absorbed her words and promises.

"Very well. Do not fail me in this Kitsune."


	138. Chapter 136: Vendetta VII

**Vendetta VII:**

Amaya sat in her hotel room, cross legged on the bed in front of her open laptop. She supposed that she could have done this faster if she'd gone to Stockman for tech, but she was done with Saki. That last fiasco had been the final straw.

Instead she'd reached out to a contact in the Earth Defense Force who owed her a favor. It had taken time, but he'd gotten her the Kraang tech that she wanted. The most important item was the 3D scanner.

The scout droids, used by the Force to explore potentially dangerous environments and search for earthquake victims and such, were a useful bonus. They were essentially, six legged robotic platforms, capable of traversing complex terrain, jumping and scaling walls. More importantly, each one was a bit smaller than a football.

From Saki, she'd learned that the purple turtle was incredibly smart, a genius. It stood to reason that he'd have a security system of some kind in place to protect his domain. But if there was one thing that New York's undercity tunnels possessed in abundance, it was rats.

She assumed that unless he wanted constant alarms and retaliation, whatever system he had needed to be designed to ignore rat sized objects. And her hunch had paid off in spades.

She'd affixed the Kraang scanner to the Earth Defense Force scout droids. Using the software they'd come with and some hacker contacts, she'd managed to link the two together so that they could communicate.

Then they'd been programmed to infiltrate the given coordinates, hide and when no life forms were detected by the scanner, to scan a three dimensional image of the space to send back to her. The scanner wasn't exactly subtle, so each scanned room needed to be uninhabited.

It had taken longer than she anticipated for the first space to become uninhabited. But she finally had it. From there she'd commanded it to repeat the process for other rooms that she'd discovered.

Given that the scanner had counted as many as thirteen unique lifeforms down there at different times, she shouldn't have been surprised it took so long for such a main room to be empty.

Strangely, it seemed like a living room/kitchen space. She hadn't really been expecting something so…homey. But she would not be deterred. They had Karai and she would rescue her niece.

So far she'd managed to map the main room, three small makeshift bedrooms, what appeared to be a dojo with a small attached living space, and a large hall with four small attached bedrooms.

There was still one room with a large, sliding metal door that she didn't have yet. Her droid was inside waiting, but it was as though the space was never empty. Well, she could be patient. With so many potential enemies, she needed to plan this out perfectly.

And that clever turtle boy had given her a very helpful edge. Her eyes drifted to the battle orbs she'd captured after he'd sicced them on her during the ambush. Turnabout was fair play after all.


	139. Chapter 137: To Trust X

**To Trust X:**

The plane had landed at a secret airstrip a few days ago. Between landing and unloading, they'd managed to sneak out and hide in the attached hanger. Unfortunately, the place was crowded with Foot personnel.

Somehow Pete had managed not to give away their position while they kept moving and planned. Keeping allies as large as Slash and Leatherhead concealed in such a confined and crowded space hadn't been easy, but despite being injured Slash proved that he was a true ninja, keeping them undetected.

Much as Ninjara would have liked for Rockwell to scan the Foot soldier's minds to get the information they needed, she knew from personal experience that it was not possible to do so without the victim being aware of the violation.

Instead, she and Pete had snuck out on several occasions to get a head count and their general position in the layout of the compound. Their forays had also determined that hiding outside wasn't an option. The facility was situated among some low hills in a large, treeless grassy expanse with absolutely no cover for miles.

But she had a sense of where they were, where they needed to be, how many enemies were stationed here regularly and when the ones, just passing through, might be moving on. The transient personnel would be gone by tonight, leaving only a skeleton crew. That would be the time to make their move.

Rockwell would handle disarming the security, having deemed Donatello's equipment adequate for the task. Once inside, Leatherhead would run point, flanked by her and Slash while Pete and Rockewll guarded the rear. They could head straight for the detention cells.

The tricky part would be moving the captives to the garage wing and escaping undetected with them. That seemed to be the weakest link in the plan, but she saw no alternative. The longer she waited, the more she risked the Shredder remembering that they existed and that he had no reason to keep them alive anymore. No. The now was the time to act whether or not the plan was perfect.

* * *

Slash hated that he wasn't on point, but with his still healing shoulder it wasn't practical. He trusted Leatherhead but it still felt wrong not to be taking most of the risk himself. Maybe he had more Leo in him than he thought.

That or it was just the direction that the proud, reckless streak he shared with Raph had taken. Or both. Either way, he wouldn't allow it to jeopardize the safety of Ninjara's people.

They made it to the first door and formed a protective circle around Rockwell as he plugged into the electric lock. Within seconds it was hacked and the door opened with a hiss. Leatherhead led the way inside, with Ninjara signaling directions at each juncture.

He'd learned the route too, but let her have at it. This was her mission after all. Plus, she was the one with the guard schedule memorized, so she knew when to wait and when to move. Things were going smoothly and they made it to the holding cells in no time.

There were four gymnasium size cells. Without being told, Doc set to work on the locks, popping them as easily as he had the main door. For each room, Ninjara went in first, to the joyful exclamations of her people. There was a lot of crying and gasps of 'Lady Umeko' as she comforted them and explained, in the most basic terms her rescue plan.

As they nervously filed out, room by room, they met Pete and Rockwell with curiosity and caution but reacted to him and Leatherhead with outright terror, despite Ninjara's preparation. He tried not to let it bother him. He was here for her and it didn't matter whether or not they saw him as a monster.

Time to get to the garage and 'borrow' some vehicles. They needed to put some distance between themselves and this prison. They kept the same formation, but with Ninjara's rescued people in the middle.

He didn't like that Rockwell and Pete were so far back that he couldn't see or hear them, but he didn't have a choice. He'd have to trust in their abilities. Well in Rockwell's anyway. He'd look out for Pete. More smooth sailing. They hit the garage without incident. And confronted their first problem.

Yes, there were a lot of trucks here and he had no doubt that Rockwell could get them all started with or without the keys, but there were not enough for all of them. Ninjara had a lot more dependents than he'd counted on.

The other problem was that it was simply not possible to hide a group of this size, so they only had five minutes to figure something out before the next guard patrolled this room. Except, the schedule was off, as a startled gasp at the far door revealed. A lone guard gaped at him. So much for stealth.

"Rockwell! Take down their communications. No one knows about the escape! Ninjara protect him." Trusting in him, they both moved without question.

"Leatherhead. Pete. We protect the civilians!" He'd barely finished orders when the guard had recovered himself enough to pull out his radio.

"Sir, the prisoners are escaping!"

"Eliminate them all!" Though the guard didn't even question the response, Slash was shocked. The prisoners were defenseless civilians with elderly and children among them. And these bastards were just going to indiscriminately murder them all? Like shell they were!

Burning with rage, he was already across the room before the guard had swapped out his radio for his rifle. With a roar, he swung his mace essentially splatting the guy into the wall in a mess of gore.

Normally not one for killing, at least not after the insanity of his mutation had worn off, if Slash had to choose between the lives of these monsters and Ninjara's villagers, the villagers won hands down.

"Pete protect the civilians. Leatherhead get to the other entrance and do what you need to. No one's hurting her people!" They nodded and Slash stepped through the door into the hall to meet the guard's reinforcements. No reason those poor prisoners had to see what he was going to have to do.

* * *

Ninjara ran for all she was worth, while Rockwell flew behind her. Two rights and straight would take them to the communications center. There was no cell service out her and it seemed everyone relied on radios for internal communication. This room was the only link to the outside world.

She burst through the door and two guards leveled rifles at her while a third operated the terminal. Rockwell telekinetically ripped the guns from their hands before they could aim and fire while Ninjara charged and impaled one, then spun, cutting her sword out of the man's side with a single slice that ultimately removed the second guard's head. Rockwell blasted the guy at the terminal aside and into the wall before rushing over to inspect the damage. He began typing furiously.

"What's wrong?"

"He sent a partial message."

"So we'll be hunted then?"

"No! I'm making it appear corrupted and following up with an all clear message blaming it on a technical glitch. Hopefully, no one will jump on investigating that too quickly."

Sensing movement to her side, she yanked the surprised monkey's head back and just barely out of the way of the approaching bullet, shoving her companion behind the cover of another nearby workstation. It wouldn't stop any bullets but it would make targeting him more difficult.

Then she turned her attention towards the final guard aiming a handgun at her. She charged him as the gun went off. Fortunately, he was shooting where she was instead of where she was going to be, making no effort to anticipate her moves. Her charge became a slide along the ground as the bullets whizzed harmlessly by above her.

Before he could adjust his aim, she was on him, slicing through both his legs at the knees. He toppled screaming and as she stood, she finished him by bringing the point of her katana down through his skull, cutting him off mid shriek.

Wiping her blade clean of blood, she sheathed it and helped Rockwell up so that he could finish his work. She'd come too far to lose her people now.

* * *

Exhausted as the adrenaline rush abandoned him, Slash trudged back through the bloody mess of soldiers trying hard not to think about what he was stepping in. This would likely haunt him later.

There were a few places where their bullets had grazed him which he did not yet feel, but otherwise he was unharmed. They really hadn't been expecting a fight, just helpless victims, those bastards.

Reentering the garage, Ninjara's people were huddled tightly together in one corner as Pete did his best to reassure them. If nothing else, he was entertaining the children. Leatherhead sat apart from them by the door he was guarding. There were some splotches of blood on his body, but mostly it covered his claws and jaw.

Saddened for his friend, he moved towards him and placed a comforting hand on the alligator's shoulder. Leatherhead, despite his periodic blind rages was a gentle soul at heart and this had cost him.

"Thank you." The large reptile managed a strained smile for him.

"This door is secure. There are no more." As he said that, they both heard the sounds of someone approaching and tensed for battle until he saw Ninjara turn the corner. He panicked for a moment when he saw the blood splashed across her armor until it became readily obvious that it wasn't hers. Rockwell wasn't far behind.

"Success?" He was going for hopeful, but just sounded tired. Rockwell grinned widely.

"Mostly. I stopped them from drawing an immediate investigation." He glanced back at the mess in the hallway with distaste.

"And if there are any stragglers, I sabotaged the system so there won't be any outgoing messages after we leave." Slash nodded.

"Good. Leatherhead, I need you to get the large doors open, so we can get the trucks out. Ninjara, can you go with Pete and load up as many people as will fit. Priority should go to the young, old and pregnant. The rest will need to walk." She gave him a heartfelt smile and gripped his hand before rushing off, clearly eager to be free of the place.

"Rockwell, I need your satphone." The monkey looked at him appraisingly for a moment before surrendering it form his pack.

"See what you can do about getting those trucks started." He complied but not before giving Slash a meaningful stare. He wondered if Rockwell knew what he'd done. If anyone were to figure it out, it would be the psychic primate. He was too tired to think about that now. Jack answered on the third ring.

"Kurtzman."

"It's Slash. Have you had any luck?" Kurtzman sighed.

"The Japanese government has set aside a remote island for them and agreed to defend it and keep it secret in exchange for services rendered."

"Thanks Jack."

"I wish I could have done this another way."

"That wasn't gonna happen. We're in the middle of Hokkaido and will be traveling with a lot of people on foot. I'm pretty sure Rockwell can navigate. Where do we meet you?"

"Hmm. What are your coordinates?" He told him.

"Then you should meet us about thirty miles east of Kushiro. I'm guessing it will probably take you about two weeks to get there, but keep in touch. I have to know how many boats you'll need. Got a headcount?" Slash gazed across the group.

"Not exactly but I'm guessing there's between one hundred and one twenty."

"Ok, I'll prepare for one fifty just in case. See you soon."

"Thanks Jack."

* * *

Ninjara walked side by side with Slash at the head of the caravan as they approached the ocean's edge, finally nearing the end of their journey. It had been so natural to fall back into her role as community leader, with everyone coming to her for every little thing.

As Slash had barely left her side for a moment during all that time, most had finally gotten over their fear of him. Still, she'd wanted to set aside some time for herself to spend with him and thus had encouraged the leaders who had naturally emerged in her absence to maintain their roles as much as possible.

He'd told her many stories about his first family, though his recollections were filtered through the mind of the tortoise he'd once been and about his own mutation and the formation of the Mutanimals.

She finally had a chance to share her history with him. That of her people and herself and not just the tragedy with Alopex. She'd never talked about her life so freely with anyone. It was cathartic.

She hoped for more time with him on the boats, but the inevitable crowding would likely make privacy impossible and these were things she wanted to share with only him. Not that the other Mutanimals weren't great and fun company in the evenings, but she treasured her time with just him.

There were several boats in the water, manned with a few Japanese sailors. At the shoreline, next to small boats ready to transfer people to the larger ships group by group, stood an American man wearing a brown trench coat and matching hat, talking to the captains of the ships.

"Jack!" The trench coat man turned at the sound of Slash's voice and smiled. To the minor panic of the captains, Slash rushed forward and scooped his human companion up in a heartfelt hug. She caught up just as he set the man down. He looked at her.

"Jack J. Kurtzman." He stuck his hand out to her. She'd finally done it. With Slash's help, she had saved her people and they were finally safe and free now. She was free. Ninjara was gone forever.

"Umeko Mokoshan." She gripped his hand and shook it firmly, noting the smile in Slash's eyes as she used her true name for the first time since this had all began.

"Good to meet you. Any friend of Slash and the Mutanimals is a friend of mine." She smiled, grateful to have picked up some English during her time in America.

"Likewise. Slash said that you convinced the Japanese government to protect us." His smile faltered a little and she wondered at that.

"I did. And I'll be going with you to see that you're settled in. These are the most discrete officers Japan has to offer. You and your people will be safe."

"Thank you." He shook his head.

"Just doing what's right. Let's get everyone boarded."

* * *

Slash noted that the other Mutanimals kept back and out of the way as the sailors saw Umeko's people safely onto the ships. It made sense. They were all still pretty shy around humans.

He kept as close to Umeko as he could during the process, trying to make these moments last. He didn't think he'd ever see her again and he wanted to get as much out of this time as he could. Which was fortunately quite a bit as there were a lot of people who did not move with military precision.

As the last of them were boarded, he reluctantly hung back on shore, wishing he could explain himself but not wanting his last memory of her to be an argument. She looked back over the railing of the ship paused when she noticed him still on land, looking surprised and crestfallen. He wanted to go to her, but knew that he couldn't.

Instead, he smiled encouragingly and waved. She gave him a sad wave in return, before freezing in place. He could hear the soldiers approaching from behind him.

"Hamato Slash?" Not wanting to tear his eyes from her, he made himself turn around.

"Yes." They wore the uniform of the Earth Defense Force.

"Come with us." He complied, but not without one last look at Umeko as her ship disappeared in the distance. Lost in his own thoughts, he started at the sound of Rockwell's lecturing voice as he spoke to the members of the Earth Defense Force waiting at the vehicles. His jaw fell open as he saw not just Rockwell, but Leatherhead and Pete there as well.

"Wuh?" Rockwell glanced his way.

"Sorry about invading your privacy Slash, but I overheard your call on the plane and contacted Kurtzman back as soon as you fell asleep."

"But…"

"No offense to your ability to punch things, but my intellect and knowledge of the Kraang and their technology was a much stronger bargaining chip, even without the addition of Leatherhead and Pete. We will be working together and have some say over the missions we'll get now."

"But…" Pete fluttered.

"We're a team. We belong together."

"But…" Leatherhead gave him a toothy smile.

"We would never abandon you my friend." Glassy eyed, Slash couldn't help but smile. The hole left by Umeko's absence was a little smaller now.

"Should have known." The alligator's voice was unusually gruff with emotion as he spoke.

"Yes, you should have. Now stop trying to leave us." Together with the Mutanimals he'd survive this, with the memory of her to sustain him.

"Never again."

* * *

She felt her blood run cold as the soldiers surrounded him and took him. She'd thought that he was just going home to his family and friends as was right and just no matter how it disappointed her. Why was he being taken away by soldiers? She spun angrily on Kurtzman who sat quietly on the bench behind her.

"What is the meaning of this?" He looked older all of the sudden.

"The price of amnesty. Your people aren't being sheltered because governments are kind. It was an exchange. Your people for Slash." Her jaw fell open.

"Why? You're his friend. Why would you do that?" He met her gaze with sorrowful eyes.

"Because he asked me to." Umeko absorbed the full realization of what Slash had done for her people, for her. He might never see his own family again. Or her. Oh Slash. No, that wasn't how this would end. Setting her will, she stomped over to Kurtzman and crossed her arms defiantly.

"We need to talk."


	140. Chapter 138: Lost VIII

**Lost VIII:**

Leo reveled in the exhaustion of finishing up morning training. It felt so good to finally be back into his old routine. His arms and shell bore more scars, on top of the ones he'd already had from the battle that put him into a coma.

Convalescing sucked. He'd have to train really hard, now that he was allowed to, so that he'd be good enough to not almost get himself killed in battle anymore. The recovery period was just intolerable.

At least this one wasn't a total waste. He'd made some real progress in his spiritual training with Venus's help. She was a good sister and he was glad to have her on the team. Speaking of, Venus, Lisa, Alopex and Karai were on their way in for their own training session.

The dojo was simply too small for everyone to train simultaneously, although he thought it would probably be a good idea to start mixing the groups up. He'd have to speak with Sensei about that later. But now it was time to clear out and give the girls some space.

With a sigh, he realized that he would be the last one to the showers, getting what little remained of the hot water. Mikey and Raph had obviously gotten there first and were in and out. Mikey was already on his way to the lab to retrieve Lily, who'd started hanging out there during training. Lately, he'd taken to reading his horror comics to Lily and with embellished descriptions and exaggerated reenactment of the details.

Raph was already on his way back to the dojo to watch Lisa train. That was fair, since she'd been spying on them or Raph in particular. Leo shook his head. Never in a million years had he expected Raph to be the first of them to find someone. It boggled the mind.

Donnie was leaving the bathroom now and making a beeline for his lab. Again. It had been weeks now. Though Donnie was slowly participating more and more in family activities, he still spent most of his time shut up alone. And although no one said anything, he suspected why.

April and Casey hadn't been to the lair since this had all started, though Raph and Alopex still went out patrolling with them at night. Raph was always so happy and animated when he returned until he'd see Donnie's lab door and get that sad look on his face.

Well it wasn't healthy for Donnie to mope in there forever. Family had pulled him through his rough patch when he thought he might not recover at April's farmhouse and it would get Donnie through his. Assuming his brilliant brother would let them be there for him.

He'd go talk to him after he finished what was likely to be a frigid shower. Yup, he was right. No hot water left. Ultimately, he'd just turned the hot handle off, so it could regenerate for the girls. Shivering as he toweled down, he headed for the lab. Donnie's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, hey Leo."

"Hey. You've been spending a lot of time in here. I was thinking maybe we could do something together as a whole family this afternoon or that the four of us could patrol tonight, now that I've been cleared for duty." Donnie looked longingly back at his desk, littered with papers and gadget bits that Leo couldn't even guess at.

"But I'm making so much progress…"

"It will still be there later and since there's no interdimensional invasion or mutation mind control program on the horizon, it's not pressing. Come spend some time with us." Donnie frowned. Fine. Leo could compromise.

"How about just patrol. I've kind of missed it being the four of us." Donnie gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Ok, patrol then. But seriously Leo, I've gotten so much done." Leo smiled and listened patiently to his little brother.

"I've made more equipment for Lisa to work with. She's doing some really fascinating stuff when Raph's out beating up criminals. Oh and the energy tracker is a success. If Venus can produce an accurate sample of the energy that she's trying to hunt down, we'll finally be able to help her finish her mission. And I've made a bunch of anti-venom from the samples Karai gave me. Plus I can always produce more as long as she keeps providing her venom." Leo frowned.

"She isn't going to bite us."

"Well no, but she doesn't have complete control over it yet and it's good to have it in case of accidents or, you know, if she gets mind controlled again."

"We won't let that happen." Donnie kept going as though Leo hadn't even spoken, caught up in fascination with his own work.

"The drawback in that scenario is that I wouldn't be able to replenish the supply without more venom samples, but I think I've come up with a work around for that too."

"Donnie…"

"It wouldn't work for humans, but it's at least something."

"Donnie…"

"Dipped into what's left of the mutagen supply to make it." Leo rubbed his temples and gave up. Best to let Donnie finish as he was clearly excited about this accomplishment, although Leo wasn't thrilled to be discussing the possibility of Karai being stolen from them again.

"I realized that by creating a custom mutagen with her venom, mind you this will only work with the perfected mutagen I collected during the invasion because it's actually stable in this dimension, I could cause a mutation that would allow one to safely metabolize her venom.

"Though it would be dangerous to use it on a human, since it's sort of preprogrammed to turn humans into those blob monsters that the Kraang were using as slaves, but it shouldn't interact with someone who's already a mutant. You know beyond causing the additional mutation to make them immune to the venom." Wait! Did Donnie just say 'immune to the venom?'

"Immune? Like permanently?"

"Well yes, without retro-mutagen to reverse the mutation, but I'm not sure how retro-mutagen would interact with multiple mutations like that."

"So someone who used this custom mutagen is completely immune to Karai's venom, forever?"

"Yes, I said that already Leo, keep up. Naturally it would be a tactic of last resort to be used after exhausting the supply of regular anti-venom. I think I've got it right, but doing anything with mutagen does carry an inherent risk. I learned that when I made the medicine to help you recover and inadvertently created the Creep."

"How do you know it will work?"

"Theory."

"Shouldn't you test it, you know so we aren't screwed in the case of an emergency."

"I don't think that the risk justifies…"

"I volunteer."

"Leo I don't know if that's a good idea…"

"Seriously. We don't want to be counting on something that only might work in a worst case scenario. Try it out on me. I trust you."

He wasn't sure Donnie would, given that his brother was right. There really wasn't any reason to justify the risk he was taking, other than his desperate desire for it to work. But clearly, with all the work he'd been doing, Donnie hadn't been getting enough sleep and it was effecting his judgement. That he clearly desired to test the theory might have played a role as well.

Donnie carefully took out a small vial of mutagen labeled 'venom cure' and poured it into a syringe. His doubts finally caught up with him as he poked the needle into Leo's arm.

"Actually I don't think…" Leo depressed the plunger and doubled over in instant pain, knowing that somewhere distant Donnie was frantically calling out to him. He really hoped that this wasn't a horrible mistake.

Finally the gut wrenching agony let up and he could see Donnie looking down at him with concerned brown eyes. Apparently at some point, he'd fallen to the ground. Cautiously, he examined himself to find that he looked and felt the same.

"Uh, did it work?" Donnie frowned.

"Well there's no way to tell without exposing you to Karai's venom and I'm not…"

"If it didn't work, I can use the mantra to heal myself. After all that, I'd kind of like to know." Donnie smacked his hand to his face, but had to concede that worst mistake had already been made. Sighing, he retrieved his venom supply and used a cotton ball to swab some on Leo's skin.

"Do you feel any burning or numbness?"

"No."

After five minutes of monitoring Leo's unchanging vitals, Donnie sighed in relief.

"It looks like it worked." His relief quickly transformed into triumphant joy.

"It worked! Take that dimensional laws of reality! I am awesome!" While it was nice to see his brother revel in the glow of his accomplishment, Leo was distracted by his own excitement.

"Great job Donnie. You are awesome." His brother grinned, but wobbled unsteadily.

"But maybe you should get some sleep?" He yawned.

"Yeah, maybe."

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't remember."

"Get some sleep."

"Ok." He tottered towards his cot, but Leo steered him out of the lab.

"In a real bed. Go to your room. It misses you."

"Ok, Leo, but just for an hour or two. I still want to work on that tracker." Both of them were well out of the room when a small mechanical device whirred to life in their absence.

* * *

Something was up with Leo. She knew it, but didn't know what. Granted, since Karai had subtly announced her intentions towards him along with the obstacles to fulfilling them, it had been more of a frustration than a relief. Probably because she'd never doubted how he felt. He'd never given her reason to.

Now there was this strained longing between them as they politely kept their distance from each other, somewhat exacerbated by the amount of time he'd been spending with Venus.

Not that she considered the lovely female turtle a true rival. She was quite secure with regard to where Leo's affections lay, but the shy crush that Venus seemed to be harboring on her turtle set Karai's fangs on edge. Apparently she was possessive.

She knew that he was waiting for her to give him some sign that she'd gotten it under control. And she was trying. She could generally hold it back at will, except when she felt strong emotion. Then it was almost an involuntary response. And she was pretty sure that if she ever kissed Leo, she would be feeling strong emotion. Why couldn't things ever just work out?

And now he'd spent the whole day, almost vibrating with nervous energy, shyly approaching then dodging her. Where was her calm, collected hero? He hadn't behaved this frazzled since she'd first started flirting with him.

Hmm. Had she accidentally sent him some indication that she'd worked through her venom issues? If so, that was going to be crushing disappointment. She could put off telling him, but he was finally well enough to patrol and evening was fast approaching. She did not want him out there in such a state of distraction.

Preparing herself for what was likely to be a depressing encounter, she went into the dojo where he'd gone to meditate or, she suspected, sit under the tree failing to meditate. Yup, there he was, sitting cross legged, brow furrowed in way too much concentration to be anywhere near inner peace.

She knelt in front of him, taking the moment to examine his features at close range. He did have an exotic beauty to him. Granted, thanks to Alopex, she'd been more at ease with mutants than most when she'd first met him.

Back then he'd been so very alien to her, though obviously not unattractive. He'd been especially cute when she teased him and thus she hadn't been able to help herself from tormenting him mercilessly, not realizing that she'd been ensnaring herself too.

Now, he wasn't alien at all. Just beautiful. Then his eyes snapped open, locking on to hers and he scrambled backwards. He let out an oomph as he hit the tree.

"K-karai?"

"Uh, hey Leo."

"I've actually been wanting to talk to you."

"Yeah, about that. If I've given any indication that I'm in control of my venom production, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional. I'm making progress, but…" She sighed. Yup this was depressing.

"No. Well yes. I mean it's related." She quirked a questioning brow at him.

"Donnie made a cure for your venom." He blurted it out hopefully.

"The anti-venom?"

"No. I mean like a mutagen based permanent immunity."

"What?"

"I, uh, tried it out. It works." He grinned at her with nervous hope. She stared at him, trying to determine whether or not he was serious. This was Leo. Of course he was serious.

"You're certain?" He nodded.

"Because if you're teasing me about this Leo, so help me I'll…" She never got to finish. He'd apparently decided to take a leaf out of Captain Ryan's book and gone for daring. Mid-sentence, he'd leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. That snapped her control.

The next thing either of them knew, he was on his shell with her wrapped around him, deepening the kiss into something more than the chaste exercise he'd started. Realizing what she'd done, she quickly pulled back and examined him. He was dazed and grinning but otherwise showed no signs of poisoning.

"Wow."

"Leo are you ok?"

"Better than ok." It was true. He was immune. Suddenly giddy, she couldn't help but grin, knowing that it was probably putting on a ghastly display of her fangs. But Leo didn't seem to mind. Confident now, he flipped her onto her back, returning the passion of her kiss. And she'd never been so happy to be lost.


	141. Chapter 139: Obligation of Heaven VIII

**Obligation of Heaven VIII:**

Venus stood in the doorway to the dojo, trying to swallow the dry lump in her throat. She knew she should just walk away and leave, but felt incapable of doing anything least of all moving. This is private. Their moment. She should not be here spoiling it. But still she was pinned in place. Eventually someone is going to notice and she'd have to explain herself. That thought got her moving.

With an unnatural calm, she turned around and slowly left the dojo behind, step by step. At first she was heading towards her room, but she didn't really know how long this façade was going to last and the shelter wasn't even remotely sound proof.

She couldn't bear the idea of anyone seeing or hearing her fall apart. Her pride would not allow it. Instead, she veered off towards the lab, hoping Donatello wouldn't waylay her. But for once, the lab was empty. That could change at any time.

Looking through the open garage door, she could see the shellraiser, party wagon and roadster. Maintaining her eerie calm, she went to the shellraiser, closed the door behind her and curled up in the back corner.

She felt like such a fool. She wasn't angry at Leonardo or Karai. Just herself. What made her think that they belonged together, just because they were both turtles? Why couldn't she see how he really felt about Karai? And about her?

Because she'd spent her entire life training in either the physical or metaphysical arts. She didn't know anything about people or how they interacted. Until recently the only other person her age that she'd ever known was her brother. She had no frame of reference for understanding her peers.

At least no one knew what a fool she'd almost made of herself. The idea that anyone might realize what a silly little child she'd been galled her. As one of the descendants at the temple, she'd been respected, almost revered. Even here, without all that history and tradition, she held the status of teacher.

And student as well. Master Splinter, while not versed in her fighting style, had enough wisdom and experience to train her. Seeing the flaws in her technique, he helped her to grow and perfect her methods.

But as far as spiritual training went, she was the one with the knowledge that others sought and she cherished that respect and responsibility. Would she still have that if they knew? Her stoic outer shell broke and she buried her head in her arms crying and hoping no one would ever find out how pathetic she was in this moment.

* * *

Donnie's phone alarm went off and he swatted his hand around clumsily until he finally snagged it. Turning the alarm off, he started to drift back asleep until he saw the time and bolted upright in his bed, sending his covers flying to the ground. He'd been sleeping for almost seven hours. How had that happened?

Muddled memories of shutting off his alarms drifted through his consciousness and he groaned. They'd be going on patrol in an hour. So much for getting back to his work before they went out. He did feel better after sleeping all day. Really disoriented, but better. Maybe he should try getting more sleep.

Well, he did still have an hour. He could at least organize the work he'd left out on his desk when Leo had made him go to bed. Leo! Oh no! He'd mutated his brother! What had he been thinking? What had Leo been thinking?

He should probably check on Leo before they went out tonight to make sure there weren't any side effects. That was so dangerous and stupid. He definitely needed to get more rest if sleep deprivation had such a deleterious effect on his judgment. Of all the things that could have gone terribly, terribly wrong, just to satisfy some curiosity that it worked in case of one incredibly unlikely future scenario. Stupid.

With a groan, he trudged off to his lab, considering the various tests he wanted to run on his brother to make sure something disastrous wasn't going to happen to him. Like Mikey's shellacne.

But all he did when he got there was fall into his chair and close his eyes. How could he still feel so tired after getting so much sleep? And why did he hear sniffling? Was someone sick and waiting to be examined?

He opened his eyes and looked around but didn't see anyone in the lab. Getting up, he began to explore searching for the source of the muffled sound. The shellraiser? He slid the doors open and Venus's head snapped up from her arms, eyes red rimmed and puffy.

For one startled moment, he considered closing the door and pretending that he hadn't noticed her. Yeah, like that would make her feel better. He owed her more than that. Feeling disturbingly out of his depth, he closed the doors behind him and plopped down next to her. Cheeks burning, she had her head turned away from him, avoiding his gaze.

What was he supposed to say? Recent evidence suggested that he didn't know a thing about girls. But he remembered the night she'd found him. She hadn't said anything either. With his usual, uncertain awkwardness in dealing with the fairer sex, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

For a moment, he thought she was going to shove him away and bolt, but eventually she sighed and leaned into him, continuing to sniffle. It occurred to him that she'd come here for privacy and his presence might soon compromise that. As discretely as he could, he slipped his phone out and texted Leo.

"Raincheck on patrol. Will join tomorrow for sure. Need some space tonight. Please." He hoped the please would do it and his big brother wouldn't come looking for him. They didn't usually say things like that unless they really, really meant it, so hopefully Leo would get the point.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there with her, but it seemed like a while to him as he considered all the possible scenarios that could have reduced her to this and how he might rectify each one. Of all people, she didn't deserve to be hurt. Finally, she rubbed the tears from her face and pulled out of his embrace, leaving him feeling surprisingly cold without her warmth beside him.

"Sorry about that. Can we just pretend this didn't happen?" No. He couldn't. Not without fixing it.

"You want to talk about it?" She looked like she was going to refuse and insist that she was fine, but probably noticed how familiar, if reversed, the situation was from the night she found him.

"Leo's in love with Karai." His brow furrowed in puzzlement. Of course Leo was. Only his crush on April had been a more poorly kept secret.

"Well, yeah. He always has. Everybody knows…" He trailed off when the expression on her face revealed the inaccuracy of his assertion.

"Well, I didn't until I saw them…" Oh. Leo's venom immunity. His cheeks burned red with embarrassment as he abruptly understood why his big brother had been so eager to take the risk with that mutagen. Apparently that had worked out for him.

"But why would that upset…" Oh. Venus and Leo? Oh.

"Please don't tell anyone." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Your secret is safe with me. But Leo, really?" She blushed again.

"Meeting you guys created possibilities that I had sort of given up on before and I suppose I just got caught up in that. I respect and admire him. He is a good man. And very uh…attractive." Donnie chuckled.

"I'll have to take your word for it, since I really can't see him that way." She smiled.

"Although I suppose all of you are attractive, but he seemed to be the most compatible, so it was a reasonable choice of attachment." For some reason, it surprised Donnie that she thought all of them were attractive. He'd kind of gotten used to the idea that their appearance was something to be overcome in a relationship, rather than an asset.

"Huh, reasonable choice of attachment? That's not love. I don't even know what love is. Besides familial love. It's completely foreign to me." He patted her shell.

"Well, neither did I, but it still kind of happened to me anyway. It's kind of the enemy of reason." She gave him a wry smile that seemed incongruous with her tear stained face.

"Yeah. That's why I'm not even sure it was real."

"Huh."

"I'm not upset with them, I'm upset with me. I just liked the idea of having more with someone so much that when it seemed possible I deceived myself into thinking that our friendship was something more than it was. I'm so ashamed. It was such a childish thing to do."

"You know, as teenagers, we are still kind of kids." She managed a small smile at that.

"I suppose so. With what we need to do sometimes, it's easy to forget. I just don't want anyone to know how pathetic I am." Donnie was affronted.

"Pathetic? Venus you're a magical, butt kicking, holy hero on a mission to save the world from an ancient evil. You're amazing."

"But I…"

"Do you think I'm pathetic because of how…things turned out with…April?" It was still hard to put it into words without feeling the pain and misery of it, but this wasn't about him right now.

"Of course not. You're brilliant and creative and compassionate and brave…oh, I see the point you're making there." He couldn't help grinning. It was nice to know someone appreciated him.

"I don't think we're pathetic for making mistakes, especially with something as incomprehensible as love. I think…it's just part of growing up. Are you ok?" She managed a real smile this time and nodded.

"Good." The moment started to become a little awkward as neither of them could think of anything else to say, so Donnie retreated to something he was comfortable with.

"I've got you're tracker working. Maybe you can try and help me identify the specific energy that you're looking for?"

"Yes. I'd like that."


	142. Chapter 140: Lost IX

**Lost IX:**

Karai lay curled up in Leo's arms under the dojo tree. Content, until she noticed him looking at his phone and texting. Really? He blushed and tucked it away.

"Donnie backed out of patrol and I just cancelled it for the rest of us. It can wait until tomorrow. I'd rather be here right now." The truth of that thought struck her intensely. Home. Family. Love. Here. There was no place she'd rather be either.

The long, lonely years of her childhood full of training in a futile attempt to earn the love of a distant father. The keen sense of loss over her absent mother across her life. The betrayal and mistakes. Losing herself over and over.

It all paled and fell away, losing its power to drag her down. Her life had been a broken, winding road but it had ultimately led her here. Where she was complete. Where she was cherished. Where she belonged. She cuddled further into Leo's embrace.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be either."


	143. Chapter 141: Huntress IX

**Huntress IX:**

When Alopex had seen Karai come out of the dojo, hand in hand with Leo last night, she'd breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been putting things off, not wanting Karai to thinks she was abandoning her as she struggled with her mutation. But now there was someone else there to support her now. Someone who could probably do a better job of it than she ever could have.

She paused in her packing to glance at her sleeping sister. Karai had never looked so happy and peaceful before, even in her dreams. Alopex was glad that she'd finally found happiness. Karai's eyes fluttered open and she caught Alopex watching her before he gaze alighted on her sister's pack.

"Going somewhere?" Alopex shrugged.

"You know you'll always be my sister, but I'm not fitting in here." Karai frowned.

"Where will you go then?"

"Angel's offered me a place in her new version of the Purple Dragons and I kind of like it there. The work suits me." Karai smiled and leaned back into her futon.

"So you won't be far then?"

"Never. I'll be back to check on you now and again. Make sure Leo's treating you right." She laughed as Karai blushed.

"I don't think you need to worry about that. He's so noble it's hard to believe he's real sometimes." Alopex grinned.

"Yeah, his brothers were telling me some of his old hero lines. 'Halt villain' and 'The Turtles of Justice' are my favorites." Karai doubled over laughing.

"Oh man, really? I'm so going to have to make him tell me about that." The laughter slowly died away.

"I will still see you though." Karai nodded.

"Tell the others for me will you? I'm not a fan of awkward farewells." Karai smiled.

"Of course. But I can bet you'll probably still be seeing a lot of them too."

"Maybe, but I really don't need a blubbering goodbye hug from Mikey." Karai grinned.

"Hilarious as that would be, I suppose you're right. See you around sister."

"See you."


	144. Chapter 142: Vendetta VIII

**Vendetta VIII:**

Amaya set the last droid down and admired her work. She stood just beneath the manhole that she'd used to enter the sewers, not exactly certain how close was too close to trigger alarms. Despite the lengthy preparations, the plan was beautiful in its simplicity.

She'd stacked the droids with small gas bombs of her own design. The delivery mechanism wasn't her design of course. The marble sized metal spheres that would trigger to release the gas upon an impact were something of an industry standard in her business.

But the specific chemical compound that could quickly render anyone who breathed it unconscious, even when dispersed in a relatively large area, while not doing any other harm, was her own work. With the aid of a scientist or two in her contact list. It had served her well over her career. And now it would reunite her family. The only family she had left.

With Karai there, she didn't dare use anything more deadly. The droids were programmed to sneak into each room of the turtle base and signal each other when they were in place. Then simultaneously they would spin to release their payloads.

Most rooms would require only one bomb, but she had reserved four for the lab, three for the dojo and seven for the main space, factoring in the extra area. Then once everyone was out, she'd kill Yoshi, collect Karai and the purple and orange turtles and flee in one of their own vehicles. The van would likely be easiest, at least until she made it to her own van parked not far away.

Then she could use the orange turtle to make the purple turtle turn her niece human again and if they were useful and compliant she'd release them. Unlike Saki, she had nothing personal against the turtles. As far as she could tell, they helped people. It probably wasn't their fault that Yoshi had used them to kidnap Karai.

Checking to ensure that her gas mask was ready and waiting on her belt, she unleased the droids, preparing for the signal that they'd triggered.

* * *

Venus took a deep cleansing breath and readied herself. Ever since Donatello had announced his energy tracking device functional a few days ago, they'd been trying to figure out how to provide it with a sample of the Dragonlord's energy, so it would know what to search for. She finally had an idea, though her mind shied away from it.

"Are you ready?" She could hear Donatello's voice nearby and it had a soothing effect on her. Yes, she could do this. The Dragonlord had killed her father and she'd been the first to his side, clinging brokenly to his still warm corpse.

Foolish and wrong as it had been, she'd reached out to him with her own life force, seeking to revive him. Obviously the dead could not be given second life, but for a moment she had been linked to him. And though he had been gone, some of his murderer's chi still lingered within. It was within her now too because of that one action. She just needed to access that single most devastating moment in her life and unlock it.

Slipping into a deep meditative state, she was suddenly back in the monastery, meditating in her quarters near her father's chambers, where the mirror was guarded. The cries of panic broke through her concentration and she'd leapt up and sprinted to her father's room.

Pushing past the terrified disciples already present, she gasped. The mirror was broken and her father lay inert on the floor. With a scream that startled all around her, accustomed as they were to her stoicism and reserve, she threw herself upon her father's body, yelling at him to hold on. That she would save him, knowing even as she said it that he was already gone.

Ignoring the knowledge, she let down her barriers and connected her life force to his, feeling cold as it began to drain out of her and dissipate as there was no life to receive it, like water poured into a bowl made of loose, dry sand.

That was when she felt it. The spiritual footprint of the force that slew him. Breaking free of the memory, she latched onto it, pulling it with her back to consciousness. Willing it forward to the outer edges of her being she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Quickly. Before I lose it."

"Hang on…got it!" With a sigh of relief, she let it go. It was harder to shake off the nearness of death that lingered from her memory. She would have been lost that day if her brother hadn't arrived and intervened before it was too late.

For a while a part of her had been angry at him for not allowing her to follow her father, but as she opened her eyes to the victorious excitement on Donatello's face, she was glad that he'd saved her.

This new life was good and she was glad that she hadn't missed it. Things were even good between her and Leonardo, since her talk with Donatello in the shellraiser. Without the illusion of romance, she was comfortable with him. They now fit together as they were meant to. Like a brother and sister. Donatello fiddled with the device a bit before giving her a gap toothed grin.

"I've parsed out your energy to isolate it. We've got. We can track it now!" She smiled.

"Finally. If only we had something to contain it once we find it." For some reason, Donatello suddenly doubled over laughing.

"Uh…"

"I'm sorry. But I just built a spirit detector and now you want a trap too. I feel like I'm equipping the Ghostbusters" What?

"Ghostbusters?"

"You know, from the movies…oh you haven't seen them. Mikey will have that fixed before nightfall I'm sure. It's a story about these guys that hunt and capture ghosts."

"Oh. A fiction or a documentary?" He looked at her for a moment like he was trying to decide whether or not she was joking.

"A documentary? Venus, ghosts aren't real." She felt that old prickle of annoyance return at the sound of his cynicism.

"Of course ghosts exist. The world is full of spirits. It's just most people can't see them."

"Can you see them?" She shrugged.

"Not as well as my father could. But I leave them be for the most part. They have their reasons for lingering and it is their business to sort it out."

"Ghosts, really?" She frowned.

"Yes. Don't you trust me?" He smiled ruefully.

"I do, but you are kind of turning my understanding of reality upside down. I do believe you though." She couldn't help the answering smile on her face.

"And don't worry. I'll figure out the trap you need. You can count on me."

"I do." The moment was shattered by a whirring mechanical sound followed by a series of metal clinking noises. Before either of them could zero in on the source of the disturbance, she could hear a hissing sound and the room began to fill with gas.

Donatello began rapidly rummaging through his desk drawers. Not sure what else to do, she covered her mouth and tried to slow her breathing. The garage door! If she could open it, maybe it would release some of the gas before it killed them.

"Here!" Donatello, pulled her hand from her mouth in a rough motion, and shoved some white plastic tubing in. Her shock and anger evaporated as she realized she could breathe normally again. He was wearing a similar device.

"I made them for when we went into Dimension X since the atmosphere there isn't exactly breathable to Earthlings. But I only have two more. Give them to who you can while I see about flushing the air with the ventilation system. She nodded and hurried out of the lab, practically colliding with Karai on her way in.

She shoved the breathing tube in the girl's surprise mouth and pushed past. In the living room, Lily was already passed out on the couch with Lisa coughing and trying to wake her. Meanwhile Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo were already battling a human female kunoichi in a gas mask, but their motions were sluggish, uncoordinated and hindered by having to dodge several small metal spheres attacking them in the air.

Michelangelo already slumped unconscious to the floor. Breathing hard from the fight, it was clear that Leonardo and Raphael would soon follow. This woman would have been a formidable opponent even if they had been at their best. But that wasn't what halted Venus.

This woman was followed by a ghost. A copy of the same ghost that followed Master Splinter. The same ghost that followed Karai. Somehow this spirit connected the three of them. Sensei and Karai made sense. They were biologically father and daughter after all, but who was this woman to them?

"Boys! Miwa!" Master Splinter staggered out of the dojo, full of its own cloud of gas, looking about frantically for his children as he struggled to hold onto consciousness. Aware that Leonardo and Raphael were now slumping to the ground before their opponent, Venus sprinted to Master Splinter and equipped him with Donatello's breathing device.

The large rat took a few deep breaths to recover himself and they looked around the room. The only ones left standing, besides them, were Karai, quickly approaching them from the lab door and the assailant. Everyone else was out. And then fans throughout all the ductwork in the lair whirred to life, sucking out the gas and replacing it with fresh air, or as fresh as sewer air could be.

The woman approached threateningly as she pulled off her gas mask and tossed it aside. There was a collective gasp from Master Splinter and Karai, but Venus paid it no mind, taking off towards the lab. Having accomplished his task, Donatello would enter any minute and in the greatest danger as a lone target. She had to be ready to stand with him. Behind her, she could hear Karai call out something unintelligible that sounded like "obasan yame!"

Halfway to the lab, Venus felt a call in her soul that stopped her in her tracks. Involuntarily, she turned. The woman was still coiled to attack while Karai and Master Splinter waited in defensive poses. The room was still with pre-battle tension as the combatants assessed each other.

Then the three identical ghosts stepped forward into the space between the warriors and all looked to Venus imploringly. She could give them what they needed. Reaching her senses outward, she called to the natural flow of chi in this place, some from the city above, some born of this very family and some native to this location.

It all flowed into the ghosts as their spiritual gravity increased and the three coalesced into one bright being, visible to all. Karai gasped. Master Splinter let out a strangled cry and the enemy kunoichi dropped her sword.

"Shen?" The ghost approached and embraced her and the woman hugged the spirit back as tears streamed down her face.

"How?" Shen, the ghost, stroked the woman's cheek, tracing the trails of her tears. She then kissed them before drifting back away from the woman.

* * *

As the last turtle fell, Amaya pushed forward, dismayed to see that Yoshi was fine, using some kind of breathing apparatus. This wasn't good. He was a skilled opponent. But she would not be deterred so easily.

Karai inexplicably rushed to Yoshi's side near the girl turtle who also wore a breathing tube. Then the room filled with the sound of fans drawing her gas away. The smart turtle? It didn't matter. It had already done its work. At least on the ones without breathing equipment.

She ripped off her mask so that it didn't impair her vision for what would likely be a difficult battle and she saw that Yoshi and Karai recognized her. The cowardly turtle ran off.

"Auntie, stop!" Why would Karai say that? She was here to save her. It didn't matter. They could sort it out after she'd gotten her niece away.

And then a white light appeared between her and Yoshi, slowly forming into an image of her dead sister. A mirror of herself. Amaya's wakizashi slipped from her unfeeling fingers.

"Shen?" The apparition approached and Amaya was powerless to move. Was this some kind of trick or deception? No. She could sense Shen's presence, like the missing piece of herself, finally filled in after all these years. The connection she shared with Shen could not be imitated by anything.

The ghost wrapped its arms around her and she embraced it as tears fell unbidden from her eyes. Shen reached up and stroked her cheek leaving a cool, numb sensation in her wake. After gently kissing her tears, her sister's spirit drifted back towards Yoshi and Karai.

Reaching out, she embraced Yoshi and Karai, while her eyes pleaded with Amaya to understand. Amaya did and fell to her knees in surrender.

Then Shen turned to Yoshi and planted a passionate kiss on his furry lips that he returned before breaking down weeping as he dropped to the ground. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she would never thought him capable of it. He'd been such a proud young man when she'd known him. Shen turned to her daughter, whispering inaudible words of love as she wrapped her ethereal arms around the trembling child.

"Mother please." She touched Karai's heart while placing Karai's hand on her own, in a nonverbal attempt to communicate all the things she never had a chance to say to her child. With one last kiss placed on Karai's forehead, Shen faded away and was gone.

* * *

Donnie watched the scene unfold in immobile shock from his lab doorway. As the ghost of his Sensei's dead wife sought to communicate with them, his mind alternated rapidly between two repeating thoughts. Venus was right. This was the closest thing he'd ever have to a mother. At least he got to see her. Sort of. Then she faded and was gone.

His father, whom he had never seen cry before, reached out pulled his stunned daughter to him and she broke down sobbing into his fur as he held her.

"What was that?" Venus looked at him, her eyes alight with the use of her power.

"She stayed to bring her family back together." Family? He glanced at the intruder and was stunned to realize how closely she resembled his father's Tang Shen. In fact, other than being older than the woman in his father's family portrait, they looked almost identical. Huh?

"Why could we see her?"

"She asked me for the power to manifest."

"Where is she now?"

"She's done what she remained here to do. Now she's waiting for her loved ones in…whatever is beyond this life."

"So I'll never see her again."

"I think you will someday. She'll be waiting for her sons too."

* * *

Amaya sat stunned as Yoshi held Karai, realizing that everything she thought she knew was wrong. Somehow she'd been mistaken about everything.

"Karai?" The girl stiffened in Yoshi's arms and gazed around the room in horror.

"Auntie, what have you done?" Oh, she thought…

"No. They'll awaken unharmed in a few hours." Karai sagged in relief against Yoshi as he closed his eyes in a silent prayer of gratitude.

"But I don't understand. You were…"

"The Shredder had Stockman create a mind control chemical that he'd used on me, but Alopex broke me free of it. You didn't notice that I wasn't acting right?" Yes, of course she did. Her rebellious niece had never ever been so perfectly obedient and respectful.

Of course she'd noticed, but she'd been so focused on the task at hand that she'd pushed it from her mind. Karai reached out a hand to her and she was over in an instant, holding her niece, scales and all.

"Auntie, the Shredder lied to us. I think you need to know what really happened."


	145. Chapter 143: To Trust XI

**To Trust XI:**

The breakroom couch at the Japanese branch of the Earth Defense Force creaked under his weight as Slash carefully eased down on it, not wanting to destroy it. They'd been here almost three weeks undergoing an evaluation process. Though the soldiers tried to hide it, they were in awe of the Mutanimals. That was something. He didn't want the government to think they'd made a bad deal and renege.

Rockwell now dressed in an Earth Defense Force uniform and Slash suspected the genius was going to enjoy his work here. He'd always been the most limited by their secret lifestyle but too cautious to jeopardize his freedom capriciously.

Pete was adjusting well too. He'd switched from jeans to uniform pants and started wearing and Earth Defense Force vest. The human soldiers had taken to him like a mascot and were quick to share any extra bread with him.

But as usual, he and Leatherhead were a little too intimidating for camaraderie and would have to settle for merely respect. Due to their size, the only marks of their new allegiance they wore were black arm bands marked EDF in white letters.

Well this was their life now. Thanks to Rockwell, it was better than he thought it would be. He wished he could tell Raphael about it, but there was no way to do so without risking his brother's freedom and safety. He would never do that, so he settled for one sided conversations in his head.

Mostly, he wished he could tell him about Umeko. His brother and confidante would have understood as no one else could have. Sometimes he imagined he could see her, as though she would be there at the edge of his vision, but gone when he turned to look for her. He wasn't sure if the delusion was torture or a gift. Time would tell.

Just now, he thought he saw her again, passing the breakroom door way, dressed in an Earth Defense Force uniform. In a uniform? What? His eyes snapped open and there she stood. Either this was real or he'd completely lost his mind.

"Umeko?" Her name sounded like a prayer as he spoke it.

"Who else?"

"But how?"

"I asked Kurtzman to volunteer me for the Mutanimals team. Interpol has been after the Foot for a while and I had a lot of information to offer in exchange for a little more autonomy for the team. We'll even get leave now."

"How much information did you have?"

"Personally, not much, but Alopex and Karai were only too happy to discretely help me out with that." He was having trouble making sense of what she was saying. Maybe this was a strange dream or wishful thinking or a coma from training accident.

"But your village…" She smiled and knelt in front of him taking his hands into her own.

"Has leaders that emerged in my absence. I left them in charge."

"But…"

"Slash. My place is here with you. Now and always." Happier than he'd ever been before in his life, he pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Now and always." He repeated the words over and over until he finally believed in the truth of their miracle.


	146. Chapter 144: Defying Fate VIII

**Defying Fate VIII:**

April set her pencil down and rubbed the cramps out of her hand. It had been such a long time since she'd been in school that she'd forgotten how tedious it was. Although their school normally went with a year round schedule, recovering from an alien invasion had prompted them to wait until fall to resume classes so that everyone could recover.

She was grateful for that, but the grace period was over and now they were back at it. Ultimately she and her dad had decided on giving the school their pre-invasion address and hoped that nobody bothered checking it.

She glanced over at Casey, asleep face down on his math book, drooling. Adorable as he was, this wasn't going to work. She'd thought that doing their homework at a picnic table in the park might help him stay awake, but his late night runs with Raph and Angel were catching up to him.

At the thought of Raph, she frowned. She hadn't seen her brothers, her family, in such a long time it made her heart ache. But she did this and so she had to give Donnie his space to heal and hopefully someday forgive. But her life felt incomplete without them.

Shadow had taken up their grocery deliveries, drawing from Lisa's account to afford it. Before, when it was either just her or her and Casey, being able to pay for surface food had been a strain, even with the contributions of whatever dropped money they'd collected from storm drains.

It had been such a relief when Lisa had volunteered to pay, especially with the family growing increasingly larger. But the account containing her money, earned during her internship, had dwindled.

Unless she was ready to confront her parents with her new life, they were soon going to need another source of income. Maybe since she was persona non grata at the lair, she should get a part time job.

Her phone buzzed and she cringed, the little turtle shaped electronic device reminded her of what she'd lost with her selfish carelessness. She both loathed and cherished it.

"Everyone misses you and Casey. You should come by sometime." It was from Donnie. The words blurred as her eyes teared up. Maybe he didn't hate her. She couldn't believe that she could finally go back home.

* * *

Donnie nervously set his phone down, wondering whether or not he'd just made a huge mistake. Was he ready to see her again? Would he end up making a scene? Did she even want to come back?

It didn't matter. She had been a part of this family. After all they'd been through together, that was undeniable. His brothers had his shell, but he knew that they missed April and Casey and Donnie was done being selfish.

For the sake of everyone, he needed to get past this. Wondering if she'd come and hoping he'd be able to get through it if she did, he returned to his work on Venus's spirit trap to distract him from his self-defeating thoughts.

* * *

Practically vibrating with anticipation, April jumped the familiar turnstiles as best she could with two paper bags of groceries, followed by Casey with a stack of pizzas. Together, they'd pooled their personal funds to provide this feast.

Their arrival was greeted with exclamations of surprise and joy. Apparently Donnie hadn't shared his invitation with the rest of them. Raph barely made it to her in time to take her bags before Mikey near tackled her with a hug.

Fortunately the smell of pizza lured him over to Casey before she passed out. Leo patted her on the back affectionately as she sucked in deep breaths of air now that she was released. As Karai, Lily, Lisa and Venus welcomed them back, she noticed Donnie in the doorway to his lab with a sad smile on his face, before turning to go back inside. It was heartbreaking.

She let Casey lead everyone to the kitchen with the promise of pizza as she slipped off to the lab as she'd done countless times before. He was sitting at his desk, tinkering with some device. For a moment it seemed so normal she could pretend that she hadn't devastated him. But denial had caused this mess and she wasn't going to give in to its lure again.

"Hey Donnie." He tensed for a moment, before forcing himself to relax. Then he turned in his chair to face her, managing a strained smile.

"Oh, hey April."

"We brought pizza."

"Oh, um, that's great. But I think I'll grab some later." This was so awkward. She hated this. Eyes burning with tears, she approached and sank to her knees in front of him.

"This is all my fault. I'm so sorry Donnie. Please forgive me."

"A-A-April!" She didn't look up, just waiting for the judgment she deserved. It would be easier if he just yelled or screamed at her and got it over with. Instead he sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.

"There's nothing to forgive April. If I couldn't change the way I felt to avoid this disaster, then I've no reason to expect that you could."

"But I…"

"Looking back, I think you tried, really tried, but…"

"I was so afraid of hurting you, but I ended up doing so much more harm in the end." She looked up at him and he just looked sad now.

"Like I said, Donnie is to April as Bigfoot was to Donnie." She shook her head.

"It's not because you are a mutant turtle and Casey's human. It's…you're an amazing genius and my best friend and…my brother." Donnie's jaw fell open.

"I knew it for sure when I kissed you at the farm. Being a turtle is one of the best things about you and in no way makes you unworthy of love. I needed you to understand that being a mutant is one of the most special things about that and I would never change that.

"But, like Leo, Raph and Mikey, you're my brother, my favorite brother, but still my brother and I love you. I'm just sorry that I didn't realize it sooner and when I did that I didn't explain myself sooner." Donnie's smile was more genuine now.

"I made this mess and I don't know how to fix it." He shook his head.

"We made this mess and we'll get past it. You're family and you belong here. I won't let this ruin us."

"Do you think things can be like they were?" He looked rueful.

"No and they probably shouldn't be. But maybe they can be better. I'll probably make a lot fewer mistakes around my sister than my unrequited crush."

"Just let me know what you need. I miss you and I want to make everything ok again."

"Just time. It's going to be ok. Give me some time and I know you'll be my favorite sister."

"Thank you Donnie."

"So, how about that pizza." As he got up and headed for the door, she felt a weight lift off of her heart. She hadn't blown everything. He'd forgive her and she'd finally be back where she belonged.


	147. Chapter 145: Loyalty and Honor VII

**Loyalty and Honor VII:**

Dirk paced in A. J.'s New York office, letting the chatter of his friend's phone call create a white noise backdrop for his thoughts. The last few captures had been especially vile, like all his insectoid B horror movies brought to life.

At least the abrasiveness of the mutant spider's personality mitigated his creepiness. But the cockroach monster was a new level of disturbing. He shuddered every time he thought about it. A. J. hung up the phone and turned his eye stalks towards him.

"Kitsune is calling in her request. We need to finish collecting the Shredder's mutants."

* * *

Stockman watched another worm shrivel and die as his latest formula failed. The Shredder had made it abundantly clear that he needed a foolproof version of his mind control chemical and he needed it fast or he'd take Stockman apart piece by piece.

But he just couldn't figure out how to correct the flaw. It worked because it was so strongly connected to the emotional center of the brain, even if that created a vulnerability that could overload the worms.

Removing that was like trying to build the second floor of a house without the first. This wasn't going to work and he would be killed as a result. There seemed no other way this could end.

Bradford ghosted into the room, doing better but still favoring his good leg and Stockman's mood soured. He did not need the Shredder's less intellectual minions berating him, as was their hobby. Enough was already going wrong.

"We need a sedative."

"Whaaat? Whhyyyzzz?"

"We're hunting Alopex fool. She is clever. We have a plan for a trap. But it requires something to knock her out that can be slipped into food or drink. Something that can't be smelled or tasted even with mutant senses."

"Tazzztelezzzz, oderlezzzz and dizzzzzolvezzzz completely in liquid. You want iocane powder?" Bradford stared at him blankly.

"You know…iocane powder from…." Bradford growled.

"I don't care where it's from. Just give it to me." Stockman gave a buzzing sigh as the reference flew over the wolf mutant's head. Oh well. He did actually have a chemical compound that would work. And who knew, maybe he could get some credit for the fox mutant's capture and buy himself some time.

Getting up, he flew across the room and sorted through his cabinet until he found the vial he was looking for, then flitted back and handed it to Bradford who sniffed it experimentally.

"No zzzzmell or tazzzzte. It dizzzzzolvezzzz, but better in hot liquidzzzzz than cold."

"Good." Bradford tucked into his belt and Stockman returned to his work, failing to notice Bradford's punch aimed straight at his head until it was too late and everything went dark.

* * *

Tiger claw sat at his security monitors, looking through the eyes of the Footbots stationed outside the Purple Dragon headquarters. Since Hun had turned up beaten and ousted, they'd cast him aside and written off the Purple Dragons. Except something Hun had said stuck with Tiger Claw. Alopex had aided his usurper.

It finally occurred to him that if he interrogated the new leader of the Purple Dragons, she could lead him to Alopex and probably the turtles as they also appeared to be her allies. But such allies made for a difficult target. And so he resorted to reconnaissance in order to come up with the best possible plan.

A Footbot brought him his glass of warm milk and he lapped it patiently as he watched. Then Alopex appeared from the building, going out on a run with some of the other Dragon vigilantes, apparently as a leader.

Had she actually been foolish enough to join them? Her best advantage had been her unknown shelter. If she'd truly moved in to the Dragon headquarters he could ambush her. This was the break he'd been waiting for.

Standing up from the terminal, he swayed and the room spun. What was this? The milk! He'd been poisoned!

With a growl, he started towards the door to signal for help, but whatever he consumed was working fast and he sank to his knees, limbs feeling like boneless rubber. There was a traitor among them! He must warn the Shredder! But he couldn't move. Everything was getting light and fuzzy. The last thing he remembered before the blackness swallowed him was Xever's robotic legs.

* * *

Dirk monitored the operation from a nearby rooftop. Tiger Claw's plan had been a good one. It would definitely make Dirk's job go more smoothly. His team was in place and ready. He watched Alopex return from her hunt with her Dragons and enter the building with them.

If necessary, he was prepared to storm the building regardless of who was inside, but the past few months of tracking and capturing mutants for A. J. had given him some insight. They tended to require personal time, particularly away from humans should they choose to surround themselves with normal people. Before attacking they'd wait first.

His patience paid off and Alopex appeared alone on the roof, letting the wind ruffle through her white fur. This was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. He signaled Tiger Claw and the ring of mutants began to close in on her.

* * *

Alopex sniffed the air. Something was amiss. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but all her instincts screamed at her to get back inside. She started to cautiously retreat towards the roof's stairwell, when the silhouettes of the Shredder's henchmen appeared on the buildings around her in all directions.

She cursed internally. Moving into the Dragon headquarters had been a dangerous mistake, but she'd been so desperate to get out of the lair. Now she was going to pay for that. She couldn't go back inside. The Shredder was out to get her and wouldn't mind collateral damage. There was no way these opponents would be deterred by her human allies.

She needed to escape and run to ground. Starting to race towards the space between Bradford and Xever, she gracefully dodged energy blasts from Tiger Claw's pistols and Zeck's hip blasters. She'd be out of the range of their accuracy soon.

Bradford and Xever closed in on her as she landed between them. She let them get close, ducking under their grabbing arms as she slammed her feet into Bradford's bad leg and kicked off of it, launching herself out from in between them as she tossed a magnetic grenade towards Xever.

It snapped onto his legs where they connected at the waist and released its electric payload, frying his system and disabling him. She kept moving forward, leaving behind Xever's curses and Bradford's howl of pain.

She could hear Steranko and Stockman gaining on her. Leaping between buildings, she threw a flashbang that went off in Stockman's face. He screamed and thrashed, falling out of the air and landing directly on Steranko mid jump causing them both to fall into the alley between the buildings. Yes!

Two more buildings and she could drop down and enter the tunnels. Once there, she'd be home free. But just as she reached the next ledge, a living, sentient pile of garbage popped up in front of her from the fire escape and spewed some sort of thick liquid at her.

The spray was too wide to evade and it burned painfully as it hit. She was stunned as she tried to wipe it off. And then Tiger Claw was there, having rapidly closed the distance with his jet pack, pinning her to the roof. She'd been caught.

* * *

Alopex conserved her strength and waited for her moment to escape. With so many of the Shredder's minions, she'd have to be careful. But she'd have to act soon. Better to die than be handed over to him.

To her surprise, they entered a building. No, she couldn't be to the cathedral already. It was impossible. Then Tiger Claw dumped her bound body on the ground. She thought that air smelled and tasted odd as what felt like a human hand forced her upright and onto her knees.

Then the bag was ripped off her head and she found herself staring at a humanoid slug in a business suit. What? Even stranger, the one eyed human man behind her began to cut her bindings. And the Shredder's minions were nowhere in sight. What was going on? The slug smiled at her.

"Alopex. You're a hard mutant to find." He then turned to the human.

"Do we have them all now?"

"No. We're still missing the other fox, Ninjara. I've sent the others down to have their injuries treated and await your orders. If we can get a clue to her location, you will have her." The slug nodded.

"So, Alopex. Where is Ninjara?" She wanted to spit in his face. Scream that she would never again betray Umeko or any of her friends. But when her mouth opened she did none of those things.

"We faked Ninjara's death and she returned to Japan to free her people, a community of fox mutants held captive by the Foot clan."

"Interesting. Did she succeed?"

"Yes, with the help of the Mutanimals."

"The Mutanimals? What's that?"

"Another vigilante team of mutants consisting of a mutant tortoise, alligator, monkey and pigeon."

"Ah, so that's why those mutants haven't been spotted in a while. So where are they now?"

"They are still in Japan, working for the Earth Defense Force."

"Hmm, that is an interesting development. It might be useful to have reliable agents in that organization. Well the important thing is that Ninjara isn't with the Shredder right now. That's enough for the bargain. You'll help us acquire her later. Now I'd like to hear all you know about these ninja turtles."


	148. Chapter 146: Obligation of Heaven IX

**Obligation of Heaven IX:**

Donnie made another adjustment to the trap. Hmm. Almost ready for testing. He'd felt more at peace since April and Casey's visit yesterday than he'd had in a long while. Since talking with her, he felt like he had more perspective.

She hadn't rejected, not as completely as he'd thought anyway. She was still his. It might not have been what he'd originally wanted, but brother wasn't really any less precious than significant other.

More precious maybe. There was a comforting sense of permanence about it. Like he couldn't ever really lose her. And maybe knowing that he was her favorite brother helped too. The way he thought about her was already changing to fit this new perspective and he knew things were going to be ok. The door slide open and he couldn't help but grin as Venus entered. She smiled.

"Hey. I thought what you did was really brave." He shook his head, blushing.

"No. It was right. I probably should have done it sooner."

"I think you did it when you were ready to." Cheeks burning, he cleared his throat deciding it was time for a subject change.

"I'm almost done with the trap."

"That fast?"

"Well, since I already had some understanding of the nature of the energy we need to detain, it was easier to generate solutions to the problem at hand. Uh, anyway, it should be ready to test soon."

She was practically glowing with happiness and he sighed. Sighed? Uh oh. Not again. What was wrong with him? Wasn't the mess with April enough to put him off these feelings?

"That's wonderful Donatello. Soon, we'll be able to capture him and return him to China!" Return to China? He felt like he'd been punched in the gut and juggled the tool he'd been holding to keep from dropping it. She was going to finish her mission and go back?

Of course she would. Her home and family were there. What did she have keeping her here? It looked like he was striking out with both humans and turtles. Well human/Kraang hybrids and turtles.

Oh, this was so much worse than when April chose Casey. How could anything be worse than that? A strange wounded noise startled him before he realized he'd been the one to make it.

* * *

She was so excited. Her mission was finally almost over. And beyond it lay her freedom, to pursue a life of her choosing. For the first time, she thought she knew what she really wanted.

Donatello let out a strangled groan and her happiness ebbed. He looked really upset. Did he not want to go to China with her? Maybe she should have asked, instead of assuming. But the thought of not seeing him on a daily basis for the length of such a long journey was crushing.

She didn't want to be separated so long. And she wanted him to meet her brother. He would understand her decision once he'd met Donatello. But the farthest Donatello had ever been from home was that farmhouse outside the city. Would he be comfortable traveling such a distance? Would he want to be parted from his brothers? Perhaps she was being selfish.

"You're going home? Uh, I mean of course you're going home. Why wouldn't you?" Home? This was her home wasn't it?

"Well back to China. My brother must seal the Dragonlord into the mirror." Did he not want her to stay here? It seemed… She'd thought… Had she misunderstood?

"It is a long journey and I can understand why you might not wish to come, but I thought…may I come home afterwards?" His jaw fell open and he froze. She wished she knew what he was thinking, that he'd respond, one way or another.

"Home? Home is here?" She nodded hopefully.

"I mean if that's ok?" His misery morphed into relief.

"More than ok. It's great!" He gave her that gap toothed smile and she melted a bit.

"You're family Venus. You belong here." Family. Belonging. She sighed. Wait. Family as in sister? Oh, not again. That would be worse than when she'd stumbled across Leonardo and Karai. Despite all her self-discipline, her disappointment must have shown on her face. He looked justifiably confused. But she had to know.

"Family…as in sister?" She closed her eyes and braced herself for his answer. After a moment of hearing nothing, she cracked her eyes open and was pinned by his very intense gaze. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so serious before as he considered his words.

"No…not sister." His voice sounded husky with emotion. He struggled with what to say before leaning forward, briefly touching his lips to hers, sending what felt like a jolt of electricity through her. Suddenly shy and unsure, he pulled back blushing.

"I…I…" Without hesitating, she reached out and grabbed his retreating form by the plastron, pulling him back, into a deeper, more intense kiss. Whatever tool he'd been holding clattered to the ground as he wrapped his arms around her. This was where she belonged.


	149. Chapter 147: The Price of Wisdom VII

**The Price of Wisdom VII:**

Splinter marveled at the events of the past week. He hadn't known such an upheaval in his life since he'd lost Shen and Miwa, turned into a mutant rat and found his sons. He was glad that Donatello had brought April and Casey back yesterday. The presence of his missing family members brought him a sense of balance he'd been lacking since the confrontation with Amaya.

He still couldn't quite believe it. She'd been with him all this time and he hadn't been aware of it, mistaking her presence for the memory of her. He didn't know whether to grieve the second loss of her or take comfort in the gift of holding her one last time. Now he could feel the void of her absence.

But he had Miwa. And he had Amaya. He had mixed feelings about that. She looked so much like Shen it hurt to see her sometimes, but it was becoming easier. He had never been particularly close to his sister-in-law before. She'd been violent, brash and arrogant, so different from her sweet, gentle twin.

But she was not as he remembered. There were still flashes of that rare tenderness, he'd only ever seen reserved for Shen, when Amaya was with Miwa, but the confrontation seemed to have drained her of her ferocity. She was…subdued now. Pensive. Thoughtful.

This was not the fearless, impulsive creature from his youth, but someone tempered by pain and regret, having learned humility the hard way. He wouldn't judge her. He wasn't the same man he'd been then anymore either. And maybe it was for the better. For both of them.

She'd been visiting each day, to spend time with Miwa. And time with him. He'd allowed her to explore his old photo albums, the few that had been fortunate enough to be stored in the dojo and his box of Shen's possessions that first day after Miwa had explained to her aunt the actual sequence of events when he'd processed the lie that she'd spent years believing of him.

Just when he thought Saki couldn't hurt him anymore, there was always another blow waiting. Each following day, she'd come to speak and to listen, as they shared their stories of Shen, cherishing the pieces of Shen's life that neither had before possessed. It filled the space of her loss and healed. Despite the turmoil it had caused, it was good to have Amaya home.


	150. Chapter 148: What Lies in Shadow X

**What Lies in Shadow X:**

Kitsune trotted through the tunnels, relying on her fox form to navigate the labyrinthine structure of essential utilities, forgotten constructions and natural structures. She'd spent a good deal of time researching just the route she needed to take, to arrive at the deepest point, much farther down than the city engineers likely knew.

Earth was always going to be the easiest as it was one single entity, everywhere. One just needed to go deep enough to touch its power, whose seat lay at the heart of the world. The final piece was nearly in place. Her plan was in full motion now.

Following a combination of instinct and memory, she arrived at her destination. Flowing back into her humanoid form, she patted the jars at her waist, containing the elemental essences of the mystics she'd released for the Shredder. Or so he'd thought. Just one more to go.

Kneeling at the deepest point, she cast her senses, down deep into the stone where the heat of the world's life pulsed like a heartbeat and coaxed it out to her. With a rush of power it formed into the final medallion becoming a physical item in her hands. She'd done it. The time for her reunion and ascendency had finally come. It was time.


	151. Chapter 149: Fallen IX

**Fallen IX:**

Tired, Angel made her way to Dragon headquarters for the night. She couldn't believe that Casey's dad was making her go to school. As if she didn't have more important things to do.

She could easily teach herself what she need and get her GED, but for some reason he insisted. Oh well, she owed him enough that she could put up with it for now. Especially with Alopex as her second in command to run things in her absence.

Pushing the door open, she was met with a combination of deference, awe and fear. But no mutant fox. Normally, she'd be right here to greet her. She glared at the man nearest to her and he snapped to attention.

"Where is Alopex?" He shifted nervously.

"Where?"

"We don't know. No one's seen her since last night."


	152. Chapter 150: Vendetta IX

**Vendetta IX:**

Amaya finished transferring some funds into Lisa Webster's account. She had more money than she could ever spend anyway. It seemed right to share it with her family. It was still strange to think of them as such, especially since she wasn't completely forgiven for her assault on their home.

The little orange one, Michelangelo, had forgiven her immediately after determining it to be a misunderstanding and had welcomed her enthusiastically. And Donatello had tried not to hold it against her, suggesting that he could use the incident to correct flaws in his security system.

Leonardo and Raphael had been less forgiving. Mostly Raphael. Leonardo had relented for Karai's sake, which spoke volumes about his devotion to her niece, considering how clearly protective he was of his family.

That would take some getting used to. Karai had never really struck her as able to trust enough to truly fall in love. While it had saddened her on some level, she'd taken comfort in the knowledge that the child would never know a broken heart. But she could see now that what Karai would have been missing out on far outweighed any hurt feelings she might have incurred seeking it. She was glad for her. Though she did not yet know him well, she felt that she could trust that boy with Karai's heart.

Gathering her things, she set out to pick up some groceries on the way down. Her nephews were voracious and while they did have contingencies for when food was scarce, they definitely preferred fresh surface food. And who wouldn't? They were not so different from other people.

Her thoughts gradually returned to Yoshi as she walked. As they always tended to lately. He was so different from the proud, temperamental young man she'd once known. Time, tragedy and fatherhood had tempered him into someone peaceful, wise and stable. Although maybe she'd never really known him before, if she'd been able to believe the lies Saki had told her of him.

Upon discovering what had really happened to Shen, how he had deceived and used her, her first instinct had been to storm into his cathedral and rip his head off. But she'd not yet been willing to leave Karai so soon after finding her and she owed Yoshi an explanation for her behavior.

She could still see the hurt in his amber eyes at hearing what she'd been told about him and realized that some part of him must still see Saki as the beloved brother he'd grown up with. Saki's words couldn't hurt him so much if some portion of that love didn't linger. And so murdering Saki would just add another wound to her brother-in-law's soul.

For the first time in years, she'd let her anger go, to find there really wasn't much else there but a hollow emptiness. An emptiness that Yoshi had helped her fill in the days she'd spent with him. Smiling at the thought, she decided to add extra cheese to her shopping list before going down to visit.


	153. Chapter 151: Huntress X

**Huntress X:**

Alopex screamed and fought to no avail. Her body would not listen and she was a prisoner within it. This was not like the Shredder's control because if rage could have freed her it most certainly would have done so by now. She had never been so furious. Not even when she'd discovered how the Foot clan had betrayed her.

And so, after vowing to never betray her friends and family again, her she was offering them to their enemies on a silver platter, knowing quite personally that the fate she was leading towards them was worse than death. This was living hell.

She knew Arthur Howard and Dirk Savage were following behind her even though the distance between them would have normally been too great for her to sense them. But it was like Howard was a constant, unyielding presence within her being. She couldn't not be aware of him. He wouldn't let her.

She wished she were less able to serve them. If only she hadn't gone to Donnie for help establishing security for the Dragon headquarters. If only he hadn't bragged about his system, recently upgraded after Amaya's assault, in such excruciating detail. If only she'd never been able to earn back their trust. Then they'd be safe from here.

But wishes and desires meant nothing as she worked her way through the tunnels, systematically disabling all of Donnie's carefully constructed layers of protection, guiding her enemies safely to the doom of her friends and family. There was only her betraying them yet again.


	154. Chapter 152: Obsession VII

**Obsession VII:**

A. J. shuddered in excitement as they drew closer and closer. Normally, he would not be joining Dirk on a hunt, but it was the most practical way to capture them all in one fell swoop. And she was there. He just knew it. How many blind, mentally unstable, girls her age named Lily, fitting her description could there be?

And if she'd been hiding with mutants in the sewers all this time, no wonder no one had been able to find her. But now she was so close. He couldn't wait any longer to have her back. She was ready for him now and he was done waiting. Soon, so soon he could almost taste it, she would be his.


	155. Chapter 153: Vision Quest VII

**Vision Quest VII:**

 _Where? Lily blinked around, as best she could in the rigid unyielding body. It was more unresponsive than anyone she'd ever inhabited during a vision. They were in a mansion, richly decorated, but still tastefully. This was the entrance hall as best she could tell and they were facing a wide, spiraling staircase._

 _On it stood a slug mutant in a fancy suit and to his side waited a military man with an eye patch. Who were they? The slug smiled and she shuddered with revulsion and terror, but it wasn't hers. Someone else's? She reached out her mind and found another one imprisoned in this body, scared, angry and screaming to wake up. Mikey? She was in Mikey's body! What was wrong with him?_

 _"_ _I think we need a demonstration. Cut your arm open." The oddly familiar voice of the slug reverberated in their ears and in their being. They both fought futilely as their hand drew their kusari-gama and stabbed it into their forearm, digging it in deep enough to hit bone before dragging it up from wrist to elbow._

 _Except for the vision of Leo's death, she'd never known such intense pain. That their motion was so slow and methodical only made it worse. It hurt so much and they couldn't do anything. She couldn't do anything. She could only control herself and influence Mikey and neither of them had any power over the situation._

 _"_ _Feel free to express yourself." They let out a joint scream of agony in response to the pain in their arm, but Mikey still managed to speak._

 _"_ _Don't do it. No matter what don't…"_

 _"_ _Enough." They were outwardly silent once more as the internal screaming continued._ And then the image faded back to darkness and she gradually became aware that someone was holding her screaming, thrashing body and murmuring gentle nonsense words of comfort. The echo of the pain lingered in her arm as she gulped for breath and tried to regain control over herself. But it was hard because on top of the horror of the actual vision, she knew that was happening soon.

"It's ok. You're ok. I'm here and you're ok." Mikey? It was Mikey who was holding her and it felt like they were on the couch in the lair. She had to warn him. To prevent this somehow.

"Slug mutant…mansion…bad..."

"It's ok. I've got you. No slug mutant baddie is getting past these chucks, so don't worry."

"Not me. It's after you. Need to get you away from him. Mikey please."

"Huh?" He needed to understand that he was in danger, but she didn't know how it had caught him. How could she protect him if she didn't know that?

"Hey, I'll be ok. Just tell me what…oh it's Alopex." This was no time to get distracted. He needed to focus so she could save him.

"Why is she just standing there?" Uh oh. Was this it? Mikey started to sneeze, jarring her with each one.

"Achoo! Achoo! Oh man what is that?" And then he went still and silent.

"Mikey? Mikey?!" Suddenly his fingers pushed into her pressure points and she lost all awareness.

* * *

It took all of A. J.'s will power not to order the turtle creature holding his Lily to destroy himself. He'd sent Alopex in first as he'd spread his spores through the ventilation system she'd shown him.

It linked to every room and he'd felt all the minds that Alopex had listed for him falling under his control. They were his now and it would be wasteful to destroy any of them. As a businessman he was never wasteful.

Since she was still human, he couldn't control Lily, so he'd commanded the turtle to gently render her unconscious so that he might easily take her home. But his blood still boiled at the sight of that thing holding her. At his will the turtle carefully set her down on the couch and move away.

Alopex had told him that there was a special affection between the two, believed it firmly as she said it, but he'd been sure that she was mistaken. How could this happen? With that monster! He stomped up to the turtle.

"Have you touched her? Answer me!" It understood his meaning because he wanted it to.

"No. I haven't even kissed her." Knowing that helped. His Lily was not despoiled. She was still pure. His and his alone. He managed to get his breathing under control.

"But you like her?"

"Yes. She's my best friend."

"And she likes you?" It was hard to get that question out.

"I hope so." He turned his attention to the other three male turtles.

"Does she?"

"Yes." They all responded immediately. Jealousy flared and once again, he considered destroying the turtle, but thought better of it. Leanna had gotten away not only because he'd been careless, but because she was clever. What if Lily was clever too? He couldn't bear the thought of losing her again.

If she truly cared about this thing then maybe that was the leverage he needed to secure her cooperation. Yes. He would keep it alive as a bargaining chip. Insurance.

Suddenly excited, he couldn't wait to get her back home, where his army awaited to protect him. Where no one would intervene or bother him. Impatient he threw his demand out to the group. The purple one answered.

"We have three vehicles that we can take."

"Good. I want us home as soon as possible."


	156. Chapter 154: Vendetta X

**Vendetta X:**

Amaya hummed to herself as she carried her purchases through the tunnels, in a better mood than she'd known, well, in years actually. After her recent disastrous mistake had taught her some well-earned humility, she'd mostly just been tired.

Her life had seemed such a pointless waste of misdirected rage, but seeing Karai blossom in the light of her new family's love and reconnecting with Shen through Yoshi had peeled back the layers of depression. For the first time since Shen died, her life felt open with possibility.

Now that the shackles of her hatred had been removed she was free to live for herself again. It was surprisingly refreshing. And the first choice she intended to make was to fully embrace her new family.

Hmm. Something was wrong. Donatello's security system wasn't responding the way it should. She'd studied it in such great deal that she couldn't help but notice the malfunction. Something was wrong. Could Saki have found the lair? She didn't think so, but what if…

Feeling the first clawing tendrils of panic grip her gut, she ran as fast as she could to the subway platform and vaulted over the turnstiles. Nothing was out of place. There had been no battle. But where was everyone?

At this time of day, the living area should have been bustling with activity. Dropping her bags, she ran to the dojo. No one. Tearing open the door to Yoshi's room, she looked around the small space frantically. Empty. He was almost always here or in the dojo. If he wasn't in the living area then…

Considering her last resort, she spun around and sprinted to the lab. It was vacant. Looking across the lab, she could see that the garage door was open and all of the vehicles were gone.

For some reason everyone had just left. And no one had informed her. Maybe that shouldn't be surprising as she still had a lot of trust to earn, but surely Yoshi or Karai would have said something. Well if they wouldn't contact her, there was someone else who would not be so callously ignored in an emergency.

* * *

April looked through the kitchen shelves, taking stock of the contents. Her dad had finally progressed enough to return to work full time and some of his old colleagues had helped him get his job back.

She wanted to make him a special dinner to celebrate, but things had been tight financially lately and there wasn't really much to work with. Still, she didn't let that dampen her mood. She had Casey. She had her family back. She had her sweet, brilliant brother back and he was going to be fine.

Mikey had called her yesterday to excitedly gossip about catching Donnie and Venus making out in the lab. She was so happy for him she could almost burst. Everything was finally as it should be. Her T-phone rang and she checked it, frowning at the ID. Why was Amaya calling her?


	157. Chapter 155: Fallen X

**Fallen X:**

Casey jerked awake to the sound of the door slamming and reached for his hockey stick as he looked around blearily. Angel? She looked distressed and was intensely pacing back and forth in front of the couch. He had never seen her so agitated.

"What's wrong?"

"Alopex is missing."

"Are you sure she isn't just…"

"It's been two days. No one has seen her in two days and she's not answering her phone. I've checked all the usual places where she goes to wind down on her own. She's just gone."

"Okay, slow down. We'll find her."

"I think the Shredder might have gotten her. He's been tracking her down. They must have figured out she was staying at the Dragon headquarters." That sounded plausible.

"Casey, we have to save her." Angel rarely asked for help and never begged, but there was a plea in her eyes now.

"Then we will. But if we're storming the Shredder's fortress, we're gonna need the whole team." Angel slowed her pacing and took a deep, calming breath. Then Casey's phone went off with April's ID filling the screen...

"Hey Red, we've kind of got a situation…"

"They're gone."

"What? Who's gone?"

"Master Splinter, the turtles, everyone. Amaya went to the lair and it's completely deserted with the vehicles missing."

"Woah, woah, woah slow down. Maybe they just had some kind of emergency and had to go."

"Without telling you or me? No one is answering their phones. Donnie's not answering." That actually was kind of serious.

"Have you tried tracking their phones?"

"Amaya did. She's in Donnie's lab. Everyone's heading towards upstate New York."

"The farmhouse?"

"Nowhere near it."

"There has to be a reason. No one could just bust in there and take on all of them."

"Something's wrong. I just know it. I can tell."

"You're Kraang intuition? Hey can you use it to check in with them? Like that time you fixed Karai?"

"I think so. Give me a minute." Casey waited while Angel tapped her foot impatiently, not fully grasping the gravity of the situation.

"Hmm. They're all together. I can feel them. Donnie, Mikey, Raph, Leo, Sensei, Karai, Venus, Lisa…Alopex? What's she doing there? Hmm Lily too, but faint, like she's sleeping or unconscious." Alopex? Well that was one problem solved.

"Can you try to communicate with them?"

"I haven't figured out how to do that without violating a person's private thoughts."

"Red, I think this counts as an emergency. Do it!" She sighed before caving in and he looked up at Angel who was rapidly becoming irate, probably because his half of the conversation was making her more concerned and she hated worrying.

"Oh God Casey their so scared!"

"Who?"

"All of them!" What? Raph and Leo were scared? Wait, Splinter was scared? No way.

"Meet at my apartment as fast as you can and tell Amaya to bring a car." She hung up and he lowered the phone. Angel glared at him.

"I don't know what's going on with the turtles, but what happened to finding and rescuing Alopex. Is that just suddenly a secondary priority? From what I've heard of the Shredder, the revenge he'll exact on her is going to be brutal." He met Angel's eyes.

"I know where Alopex is."

"What?"

"Arm up. We're going on a rescue mission."

* * *

Angel rode shotgun while Amaya drove. Casey sat in the backseat with April, doing his best to comfort her. Apparently her brother's girlfriend was some kind of psychic. She was monitoring the state of their missing friends.

So far no one had been harmed, but apparently everyone was so terrified that it was really doing a number on April, but she refused to break the connection. Angel respected that. Amaya was a stranger and Angel couldn't say she was thrilled with running into battle against an unknown enemy with an ally she hadn't vetted, but her options were limited.

She glanced at the tracker on Amaya's phone to make sure they were still following. That they were closing in on them. At least Amaya knew how to drive aggressively. No one messed with her people. No matter what, they were going to take back what was theirs.


	158. Chapter 156: Vision Quest VIII

**Vision Quest VIII:**

Lily slowly returned to awareness. She was in a moving vehicle that was slowing down. Someone was holding her. Someone slimy.

"Shhh, my dear. Everything is alright now." That voice…the slug mutant! She stiffened in his arms and felt vaguely nauseous. She'd failed Mikey. All that stupid vision did was let her know how much he would suffer. Tears of frustration sprang to her sightless eyes as the car rolled to a halt.

She flung herself at the door, easily sliding free of his slippery grip and yanked it open, throwing herself outside. She'd only scrambled a few feet, when a pair of strong of strong arms clamped down on her. Breathing in his scent she knew who it was.

"Raph? We have to get out of here. We have to find Mikey! He's in danger!" But Raph didn't answer. He just dragged her back the way she'd come. She suddenly remembered an aspect of her vision. The commanding voice of the slug and Mikey's helpless obedience. Oh God. It had Raph too. As they made it back to the car, she could hear a new and unfamiliar voice.

"We're being followed."

"Are you sure?" They just broke past the security gate a mile back. We have them on security footage."

"Hmm, not mutants. Red turtle do you recognize these people?" Raph sounded detached as he answered.

"Yes."

"Who are they? Amaya Tang, Angel Bridge, April O'Neil and Casey Jones."

"Why are they following us?"

"They're our friends. They are probably coming to rescue us." Lily was working very hard not to cry. It was Raph's voice, but it was flat and empty, completely devoid of his personality. Like he was a pod person. She hated it.

"Hmmm. Blue turtle. Your file identifies you as a tactician. What is the best way to neutralize your friends?"

"They're here to save us, so you should send us after them. They will try not to harm us. You should send Master Splinter and Karai against Amaya, Donatello and Venus against April, Raphael and Lisa against Casey and Alopex against Angel.

"Although Angel might be more willing to fight than the others, so it might be a good idea to send me with Alopex for back up. The two of us can take Angel on skill alone." Leo's voice was just as emotionless as Raph's as he laid out a plan to destroy the very people he lived to protect. It was so…wrong.

"Good. Red turtle. Give Lily to Dirk. Then join the others to destroy your companions." Lily couldn't even feel any hesitation in Raph as he passed her off into the hands of some foreign human.

"Orange turtle, you're coming inside with us." Oh God. This was when he was going to hurt Mikey. Her family was about to slaughter their loved ones and only hope of rescue and this monster was going to torture Mikey!

Don't panic. If there was any way out of this, panicking would ruin it. Somehow, she needed to keep it together. The marble floor echoed loudly under Dirk's feet as he hauled her through the doors.

"You can let her go, Dirk. She won't go anywhere." The hands released her and suddenly the man's presence was gone.

"You can relax Lily. You are finally home." "Home?" She couldn't help but ask. Why was this creature so familiar sounding? Why did it seem so focused on her?

"You don't recognize my voice?" It finally clicked in her head and she gasped. "Uncle Arthur?"

"Of course dear."

"B-b-but why? Why are you doing this?"

"To get you back of course. You have no idea how distressed I was when you were lost."

"I swear, they didn't kidnap me. They're good people. Please don't hurt them. You have to let them go. Please." How could her uncle be the one who tortured Mikey? Would he not believe her? Did he think she had some kind of Stockholm syndrome?

Surely, he'd understand if she explained well enough. If this was really her uncle, she should be able to fix this somehow. He had to listen to her.

"I'm well aware that you were staying with them of your own volition. But you are a young and foolish child and don't know what is best for you. Everything will be fine now that I've retrieved you and brought you back were you belong." He knew? But it sounded like he didn't trust her judgement.

"Of course you know best Uncle Arthur. I promise I'll listen if you just let them go. Don't hurt them. Please." He kept going as though she hadn't spoken.

"I was careless with your mother and she got away, taking you with her, knowing that you belonged to me!" Her mother? Got away? Belonged to him? A disturbing suspicion began forming in the back of her mind.

"But I finally have you back. Oh, you look so much like her."

"My mother?"

"Leanna too, but I meant you're grandmother. Both of you are so much like her. You're perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just what I need." His voice thickened with lust as he spoke and the pieces came together.

Oh hell. He wasn't just her uncle. He was her father too. She had to fight not to be violently ill. Oh God, he wanted her too. That did it. She fell to her knees and heaved up her breakfast. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. It couldn't be real. For the first time in years she wanted to cry out to her mother to protect her. This couldn't happen to her. It just couldn't.

"And Lily. You're not going to run away like your mother did. You are going to stay and be a good girl. You'll do as you're told. If not, you're little turtle friend will be the one punished for your disobedience."

"Mikey?" Oh God, how could she have forgotten about him? She knew what was coming, but was powerless to stop it.

"I think we need a demonstration. Cut your arm open." She could hear the sound of sliding metal as Mikey drew his kusari-gama and the quiet sound of the puncture as it pierced his flesh. She knew exactly how much pain he was in and how frustrated and terrified he was.

"Feel free to express yourself." His scream of pain was heartrending. She could hear it more clearly now that she wasn't screaming along with him. How could anyone hurt someone as sweet and innocent as Mikey? Make it stop!

"Don't do it. No matter what don't…"

"Enough." His words made a sudden sickening sense to her. He was so vulnerable, scared and hurting, but he still tried to protect her. Her brave, selfless friend. He deserved so much better than this monster would do to him.

"You can pull that out of your arm now." The kusari-gama pulled free with a thwuck sound that made her shudder. She couldn't let him be hurt anymore.

"So you will stay here and you will do as told or I will take it out on him. Do you understand?" For a moment she was paralyzed as she realized what the rest of her life would be. A hellish nightmare in which she would need to be complicit, from which she couldn't escape, not even in death, or Mikey would pay the price.

"Tell me you understand before we see how far he can get shelling himself! If your disobedience gets him killed there are plenty of others who can take his place!" She had to protect Mikey. No matter what.

"I understand. I-I'll do anything. Just don't hurt him."

"That's a good girl. Now come here." Forcing herself back to her feet, she gritted her teeth and made her body walk in the direction of his voice. She nearly fell, tripping on the first step. Five steps later, she stopped as his slimy hand caressed her check.

"So beautiful." She could feel his breath on her face and her mind shied away. She wished she could part herself from her body and escape what she had to let happen. An unnaturally long tongue dragged along her throat, leaving a trail of mucus as it traveled up towards her mouth. Be still. Don't vomit again. Be still or he will hurt Mikey.


	159. Chapter 157: Loyalty and Honor VIII

**Loyalty and Honor VIII:**

Dirk stared in disbelief. This wasn't happening. It just couldn't be happening. He must have misunderstood. A. J. would never…not to Leanna. But he remembered the sounds he had rationalized long ago and recognized them for what they were. And he couldn't deny the evidence before his eyes. From A. J.'s own words.

"Tell me you understand before we see how far he can get shelling himself! If your disobedience gets him killed there are plenty of others who can take his place!" The turtle mutant in the orange mask raised his blade to the space between his flesh and front shell, poking the tip in deep enough to draw blood as A. J. made his threat.

"I understand. I-I'll do anything. Just don't hurt him."

"That's a good girl. Now come here." The blade lowered and he saw the hope die from her expression. Her face became a mask of grim determination as she pushed herself off her knees and staggered forward. She was going to sacrifice herself to protect the turtle boy. Brave girl.

Somehow she held herself still, letting him touch her. Lick her. For the first time in his life, Dirk truly saw A. J. for what he was. What he had always been. A monster. A monster that'd he'd served, offering up the lives of innocents to his appetites.

No! Not anymore! Before he could change his mind, he was suddenly behind A. J. jamming his utility knife between the ribs of his benefactor's back and into his heart. A. J. collapsed back into his arms, looking at him. He could see the shock and betrayal in A. J.'s alien eyes as he died and accepted those feelings.

After all A. J. had done for him and everything he'd unquestioningly done at A. J.'s command, how could he have anticipated this treachery? But there were some lines no amount of loyalty could make him cross. He felt numb and empty as he let A. J.'s corpse slip from his grasp onto the stairs.

"I'm so sorry." Whether he was talking to Lily or A. J. even he didn't know. Maybe he meant if for both of them. She was still bracing herself for the assault when his words confused her.

Before any more could pass between them, the newly freed turtle child scooped her up and fled out the door with her in a green blur of motion. Dirk felt tired and heavy, not really wanting to do anything anymore.

But as he looked down at A. J.'s body, he knew that he was responsible for this and he had to make it right. Or as right as was possible at this point. Starting with A. J.'s corpse and the imprisoned army in the basement.


	160. Chapter 158: Brotherhood XV

**Brotherhood XV:**

Angel couldn't believe what was happening. It had been a relief when she'd first seen them walking up the road towards them. Amaya had stopped the care and they'd all gotten out to greet them.

"Stop." They'd all turned to April whose expression was stony.

"Red?" Casey had been the first to address her.

"They're here to kill us."

"What?" She, Amaya and Casey had responded in unison.

"They don't want to. They're screaming at us to run. To get away from here." Casey frowned.

"I don't understand." April's jaw clenched.

"Mind control."

They probably should have run, but that wasn't really Angel's style. She doubted it was any of their styles either. But this was a disaster.

Amaya really was a good as she suspected, but Karai and Splinter were attacking her and she didn't dare hurt them, holding back where they didn't. She'd just taken a disabling blow from Splinter while Karai was moving in to finish her.

April had been flanked by Venus and Donnie and wasn't faring any better. Venus's eyes glowed with a strange blue light and Angel suspected that somehow she was managing to check herself, not fighting April to her full potential, but it didn't matter. Donnie was. He was stronger and faster and now that she was disarmed of her tessen, had greater reach. It was only a matter of time before he skewered her.

Meanwhile Casey was facing off with Raph and Lisa. He had enough sense not to hold back against Raph and after taking several serious blows had managed to stun him with that makeshift Taser. But he wouldn't hit Lisa and that was rapidly becoming a problem.

It was a stroke of luck that she hadn't been armed when they'd all been taken, reducing her to hand to hand fighting. Guns would have ended this fight before it began. But he couldn't keep dodging her forever, especially after the blows Raph had dealt him and she knew enough to kill, armed or not.

But Angel couldn't spare the effort to help any of them. Not if she was to have any chance of surviving this herself. She had no illusions about this fight. Her friends would rather die than be used to kill her, so she fought for all she was worth. But she would have been hard pressed to defeat Alopex alone. With Leo on her too, she didn't think she could win this.

Then the inevitable happened. Leo hit her strikes at just the right angle to dig his swords into the wood, catching them on his blades and ripping them from her hands. She had to jump back out of his range and realized too late that Alopex was there with a kama ready to slice across her throat. This was it.

And then she saw the awareness return to Leo's eyes and the blade slipped away from her neck as Alopex let out of strangled cry of relief. Not knowing or caring how or why her friends had regained control, Angel fell to her knees trembling and thanked God as she'd never done before in her life.

* * *

No! No! No! Alopex fought to no avail as she was about to slit the throat of the only friend she'd never betrayed. Until now.

To her amazement, her hand obeyed when she screamed at it to pull away. She staggered back, suddenly able to control her body again. Shaking, she lowered her weapons and for the first time in her life broke down in big heaving sobs.

* * *

Raph tried to forge his anger into a weapon, but no matter how hot he stoked the fury, he couldn't regain control. Whatever this was, it differed from the Shredder's mind worms. He couldn't shake it. He had to but he couldn't.

Casey was putting up a good fight and he was proud of his friend, but Raph was sturdy enough to take the hits as Casey broke both his bat and one of his hockey sticks on him. Unfortunately the reverse was not true.

Casey narrowly avoided being skewered on one of his sais, but wasn't quick enough to move when Raph reversed the attack to hit him with pommel. He cringed at the sound of Casey's cracking ribs. Painful as that must have been, Casey's arm shot out and hit him with the potato-masher Taser. He'd never been so happy to be electrocuted.

Relief flooded him as he fell, smoking and twitching, to the ground, but it was short lived. Lisa flung herself at Casey. He evaded the first few strikes, but pain and exhaustion were slowing him down. Despite that Casey refused to hit her and Raph felt a surge of warmth for his best friend even while he worried for his life. If only he could intervene.

But if his body could move, it would only betray. Better to stay down. And yet his treacherous body fought to rise anyway, continuing to defy his will. Then Lisa sent Casey sprawling with her tail. As he struggled to get up, she leapt clear over him and grabbed his head with both hands. Raph watched in horror as he realized that she was about to snap Casey's neck.

On his feet now, he stumbled forward, wishing he could stop this, but knowing that he was only approaching to attack. Then Lisa's eyes widened and she gasped, dropping Casey's head and backing away. To Raph's amazement, he realized his desire not to attack was actually stopping him. He halted a few feet in front of Casey, who squinted up at him from the ground.

"Raph?"

"Yeah."

"You back?"

"I think so."

"Good." Casey let out a relieved groan and sank back into the ground. Raph just stood there quaking, looking at what he'd done and hating himself for it. The one thing he'd absolutely never wanted to happen to him again. Facing the Cockroach terminator again would have been infinitely preferable.

Miserable and frustrated, he thought he might explode, until Lisa appeared in front of him, badly shaken. Her eyes still held the terror of the experience and her breathing was uneven. This brought back bad feelings for her too. He reached out and pulled her in to him and they took comfort from each other. He wasn't alone in this and together they were strong enough to bear it.

* * *

Donnie watched April stagger as the end of his bo connected with her gut and he spun it, aiming his naginata blade for her heart. Every fiber of his being rebelled against the action, but that meant nothing. He couldn't stop it. This was happening and he wouldn't be able to live with it. Except that he would have to. That thing would force him to. How could his life, so perfect this morning have become this?

And then to his eternal gratitude, April, injured as she was, twisted out of the way, just before his strike would have hit and he only cut deeply into her side. But it was just a momentary reprieve.

However when he begged his body not to attack again, it miraculously listened this time and he ripped his bo away from her. He was free. Free. Caught between laughter and hysterical sobbing, he sank to the ground repeating. "I'm so sorry" like a broken record.

"Donnie?" April's voice was tentative, but he couldn't stop apologizing. Then clutching her bleeding side, she struggled over to him and pulled him into a comforting hug. That was when he knew the nightmare was over.

* * *

Venus could only watch as Donnie went in for the kill, unable to do any to do anything to stop him. It was taking all her mastery of her own chi, the only thing that creature didn't control, to slow herself down. Even with all her power and discipline, she couldn't prevent this and it killed her because she knew that it would destroy him.

And then April dodged and he flung himself back. With a gasp of relief, Venus felt the compulsion lift. She was no longer at war with herself. Donnie was on the ground brokenly apologizing as April stepped in to forgive and comfort him and Venus smiled. He'd make it through this intact. She wouldn't lose him after all.

* * *

Not again! Not again! Why?! Her father slammed into her dazed aunt with a powerful spinning kick that sent her flying into the car with a sickening crack. Before her aunt could recover, Karai's hands, morphed into fang bearing snake heads, reached out to her on unnaturally elongated arms.

She was once more a prisoner to someone else's will and was being used to murder the people she loved most. And this time there was no Leo to stop her or Alopex to save her as they shared her dismal fate. No! Not again! Let go!

And suddenly she was free. The force controlling her vanished and she redirected her strikes into the side of the car instead, crying out as pain shot up through both of her arms.

"Amaya!" Her father darted forward to cradle her aunt's limp body, his eyes full of remorse.

This violation was one too much. Her sanity felt frayed to the breaking point. The hysterical laughter she emitted didn't sound like her. Maybe some other stranger had control over her now. Wouldn't that just be the kicker? But Leo's arms enfolded her, anchoring her and she sagged against him, letting the laughter die away. It was over. She was ok and it was over.

* * *

Leo backed away from Angel, stunned by the realization that he was able to do so. He looked around, taking in the carnage he'd wrought. This had been his plan and it had almost worked until he'd been mercifully freed at the last moment. They all had as far as he could tell.

He trembled with the knowledge of what he'd almost done. Had this been how Raph had felt when the Shredder had him? Had this been what it was like for Karai when she'd been forced to attack them?

Karai's hysterical laughter broke through his self-recrimination. Looking wild eyed, she had her arms wrapped across her chest and was clutching her biceps hard enough to leave deep bruises. Setting his own problems aside, he rushed to her and held her, pulling her back from the brink. He could worry about himself later. His family needed him now.

* * *

Splinter checked Amaya and was grateful to find her still breathing. She'd survived. He heard Miwa's hysteria and had been torn, not ready to abandon Amaya, but unable to ignore his suffering child. And then Leonardo was there and he knew he could depend on his eldest son to give her the comfort she needed.

Lifting Amaya, she stood and looked around. Everyone was understandably upset. This ranked among the worst experiences of his life and considering the life he'd lived, that was saying something. There were a few serious injuries but everyone was alive and would pull through. Except…

The sound of someone approaching caused him to look down the road that they'd come from. Michelangelo was running towards them, bleeding along his collarbone and profusely from his left arm, dangling listlessly at his side as he ran.

In his right arm, he carried Lily. She looked so small, almost caved in upon herself. There was a blank look to her that made him wonder if she was catatonic. Upon reaching them, Mikey fell to his knees and curled himself around Lily, crying uncontrollably.

"I wanna go home."


	161. Chapter 159: The Cost of Power VI

**The Cost of Power VI:**

Shredder sat on the throne in his main hall as robotic Foot soldiers slowly repaired the damage from Kitsune's demonstration. The place seemed strangely cavernous. After Alopex's betrayal, his Karai was gone once more.

And now Amaya had stormed off. She'd done so many times before, but now it felt serious, like she'd finally reached her limit. She'd never been the one he'd wanted, but she was familiar and her absence was more real than he'd thought it would be.

Kitsune was gone to retrieve his new weapon and now none of his underlings were responding to his summons. This was the first time that he could remember being well and truly alone, something that bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

He had a sudden memory of being a child, crouching on the roof of the Hamato main house, feeling acutely out of place, being forced to wear a symbol on his gi that was different than anyone else's. He didn't belong. He felt isolated and alone and resented them for it.

Then Yoshi was there beside him. His brother. Always there when he started to drift apart. And he knew he'd never be alone as long as they had each other.

With a growl, he shook off the memory. Thoughts like that made him weak and he refused to entertain them. It didn't matter if he was alone. He didn't need anyone else.

Except he wasn't alone. In the absence of companions, he could sense it more clearly. There was something here with him. Within him. And it knew he was aware of it now. Suddenly aggressive, it flared inside of his mind and the battle for control began.


	162. Chapter 160: Vision Quest IX

**Vision Quest IX:**

Lily used her cane that someone has thoughtfully retrieved for her, to navigate her way to Mikey's room. Inside, it was a bit of a mine trap, but she eventually found her way to his bed and collapsed into it, inhaling his comforting but somewhat strong scent. He must have forgotten to throw his sheets in the last laundry day. That was fine. Right now it made her feel safe and she needed that.

Gathering the blankets, she curled up in a ball near the headboard, which felt like either a wagon wheel or old ship helm. Whichever, it was round with spokes. Using his pillow to brace her back, she snuggled in, exhausted but afraid to sleep. The events of the day haunted her waking moments, so her dreams were bound to be much, much worse.

It occurred to her that she'd be turning seventeen soon. That must have been around the age her mother had been when…no, she didn't want to think about that. They'd gotten away and that was all that mattered.

When he'd first grabbed her, she'd almost fought back in an involuntary panic until her nose told her she was safe. It was Mikey. She didn't know where he took her, other than away, but she'd trusted him. For some reason, it all seemed to hit her after she was safe.

It figured. The detached sense of shock that enveloped her would have done her much more good earlier when her…uncle…father…monster… No, don't think about it. Focus on the escape.

Her mind had felt divided into two pieces at the time. One was twitchy, gibbering and trying to retreat within herself. The other was absorbing everything going on around her like a disinterested third party observer with no vested interest in how things turned out.

Wherever Mikey had taken her had reunited them with the others and to the chorus of some protests they'd decided to go back to get the other vehicles as everyone would not fit into Amaya's car. The gibbering piece of her mind had almost taken over at that suggestion, but Mikey had her and she'd managed to not go wild trying to get away.

Instead, she'd listened as Casey and April answered their fathers' frantic attempts to contact them by phone. She supposed that for the parents of vigilantes the unexplained absence of one's children was unusually disconcerting.

Apparently Mr. O'Neil had convened at Mr. Jones's apartment as they debated what to do. April and Casey had been intentionally vague on the details, but couldn't hide their injuries. Once home, they were probably headed for the hospital to be treated.

Alopex volunteered to go with them and remain at the apartment with Shadow so that Angel could go to the ER with the rest of her family. Probably for moral support and to appease her own worry. She didn't sound like she was injured.

And so Angel drove Alopex, Casey and April back to the city in Amaya's car while the rest of them trudged back towards the other vehicles. Leo had tried asking Mikey what had happened a few times, but the youngest of them had been uncharacteristically gruff in telling him to back off.

She didn't blame him for not being ready to talk about it. She wasn't either. Wasn't sure she'd ever be, although from her time being institutionalized, she knew that was probably the least healthy way to deal with it.

They were all shaken, but some of them needed to drive and with Amaya and Raph injured, Mikey and Karai completely rattled, Venus and Splinter unaware of how to drive and Lily blind, the responsibility fell to Lisa, Leo and Donnie.

Raph had opted to ride with Lisa in the roadster and Venus had gone with Donnie in the shellraiser. The rest of them had piled into Mr. O'Neil's party wagon with Leo. Karai rode shotgun with him while Master Splinter laid Amaya down in the back. Lily stayed curled under Mikey's good arm for the duration of the ride, while he'd cuddled into his father who had tried bandaging his wounds to slow the loss of blood.

Remembering her vision, she'd been pretty sure he needed stitches, but that was beyond Master Splinter's ability and Donnie was driving in another vehicle. It had been a long, silent ride back.

Once home, she'd been proven right as Donnie had hauled Mikey off to his lab to mend him, practically tearing him away from her. Amaya would need attention too, but Mikey's injury was relatively quick to treat and more pressing. And so she'd come here, seeking a surrogate for him to comfort her.

The door opened and something heavy whumped down on the bed, briefly launching her into the air. Struggling to reorient herself as she emerged from her thoughts, she became aware that the bed was moving to the sound of muffled sobs. Mikey? She reached out and touched his shell, causing him to jerk away. It sounded like he fell off the bed and was currently groaning on the floor.

"Mikey?"

"Lily?"

"I'm here." She waited for him to say something or come back to her, but instead he began to sniffle again. She slid off the bed and reached out for him, finding his injured arm, wrapped in heavy gauze.

"Oh Mikey, I'm so sorry." He stiffened at her words and pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"You're sorry?" He sounded a little strangled as he spoke.

"That thing was my, my… If he hadn't been after me, your family would have been safe. You would have been safe. He wouldn't have… I had a vision of it happening, but I couldn't save you from it. I know how bad…"

"Stop. Please just stop." She fell silent, not knowing what else she could offer.

"You didn't do this Lily. Hypnoslug did this and it's not your fault." She couldn't help but smile at the name. When Mikey gave things monster names it always seemed to make them a little less scary.

"I said that I wouldn't let the baddies get you. But they did. We're supposed to be a superhero team with the super awesome mind magic and butt kicking ninja skills. And I was gonna keep you safe. But then he…I wish you would've fought back. Even if he did…"

Mikey was shaking at the memory of it, but she believed he meant it. She reached out, found him and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her cheek against his shell.

"I know. But I want to keep you safe too. You're worth protecting."

"But…"

"As long as we were both alive and endured it, we would have found a way to get out of that mess eventually." She grinned, not sure that he could see it from this angle, but hoping he'd hear it in her voice.

"Superhero team remember?" He sniffled again, but she could feel him nod.

"Yeah. That's how we roll." She ran her fingers along his head and he nuzzled her cheek.

"Yeah, Donnie can totally build us a space tower thing where we'll protect Earth from alien invasion and we'll totally challenge their leader to a dance off which we'll win and they'll owe us a lifetime supply of mystic space pizza." Mikey's voice sounded more and more normal as he spoke and she found herself laughing despite everything. She loved Mikey's tangents.

 _But her laughter was abruptly cut off as her vision opened up to a big empty hall with a glass floor containing water. She'd landed in the middle of a battle of wills and braced herself as the two forces struggled for dominance._

 _She knew one. The Shredder. The man who had hurt her family time and time again. And yet, after all he'd done to Lisa and Leo, Master Splinter and Karai, she rushed to his aid, throwing her support behind him and tipping the balance in his favor._

 _Their joint enemy was so overwhelmingly evil, the sheer presence of it near her mind was repulsive and paralyzing. She feared it more then she'd feared anything in her life, including her…including Hypnoslug._

 _There was something about this being that could corrupt her from the inside out if it got inside and not just her, but everything. It had to be stopped at all costs. And so she backed an unforgivable enemy and the pinned it down._

 _Looking out through his eyes, she saw a woman in a mask approaching, followed by four creatures, one made of wind, one made of water, one made of flame and one made of metal. The Shredder called out to her._

 _"_ _Kitsune. I'm under attack. You will help me purge this…thing." She had to marvel at how controlled his voice sounded as he spoke, but it did him no good. The woman, Kitsune, set a brown ceramic disk on the ground, completely ignoring the Shredder._

 _A spire of stone shot forth from it, growing and expanding into an enormous, hulking, brown humanoid creature with jagged edges of rock jutting out from its joints and various points in between the sections of its armor. The other creatures had similar discs to this and all the discs rose into the air and fused into the chest of each corresponding creature it belonged to._

 _The rock monster and the five other beings encircled her and the Shredder and she could feel his outrage overlaying a growing sense of unease. Nothing could be done to counter them as it took almost all the concentration each of them had, just to keep the evil at bay._

 _The element of each being flowed outward, bleeding into that of the others, creating a growing pressure that threatened to crush the Shredder and her. And then it activated the Kabuto turning his helm, the source of his authority, into a prison, trapping them, forcing the Shredder and herself deep within, unleashing the beast while they were helpless and locked inside._

 _She watched in horror as the body around her expanded into the form of a massive, serpentine Dragon. The process was slow, painful and terrifying. It let out a scream that flattened everything the eye could see around them with its force and the world trembled._

"Lily! Lily!" Mikey, screaming her name, brought her back to herself and she marveled that all creation remained solid and unbroken. The world hadn't been torn asunder. Yet. But soon. She gripped Mikey's hand and he quieted, sighing in relief.

"We need to save the Shredder. Now."


	163. Chapter 161: The Cost of Power VII

**The Cost of the Power VII:**

The Shredder wrestled with the force that had taken root inside of him, but it was unyielding. It whispered to him, within his mind and soul.

"You will have power beyond imagination. Your enemies will die in agony before your might. You will rule all worlds with absolute authority. All will be yours. You need only yield."

He could feel the truth in the words. The offer was painfully tempting. But if he were to have anything it promised, he would gain it himself, taking it with his own hands. Even if it promised him godhood, if he had to have it by proxy he wouldn't take it.

"You will never have me!"


	164. Chapter 162: The Coming Storm II

**The Coming Storm II:**

Shenlong howled in glory as his precious Fenghuang freed and resurrected him with the five elements of creation. The foreign mind that had joined his prey against him was present once again, but it held no power over him, so he ignored it. There were more important demands on his attention.

He could see the drab humble layers of fox spirit burn away from her, his beloved, as she slowly regrew her magnificent plumage, being reborn as he was. But before the transformation could complete, their sanctuary was invaded. He glared at the interlopers, not yet able to act.

Five turtles, a snake and a lizard dared to confront them, the heirs to this world and every other. Jointly they screamed out their rage and the five bound elemental warriors attacked. The female turtle, heedless of the danger, charged into the center of the room, into the space between him and his Fenghuang and he felt the ancient treachery born in her blood as she began the ritual used by the Jade Emperor millennia ago to bind him and his mate.

Stopping her was more important than anything else, but as the elementals moved to destroy her, the other invaders intervened. However there were other resources at this body's disposal and the machine creatures in this place emerged from every opening to heed his command. They descended upon his target, who embroiled in her efforts, knelt helpless before him.

And then the lizard was there, protecting her, firing small projectiles rapidly into the hoard of creature weapons that he'd summoned, felling them in droves. Now all he could do was watch and wait.

The snake battled Wind, the red turtle fought Fire, the purple turtle attacked Earth, the orange turtle took on Water and the blue turtle clashed with Metal. He took it all in simultaneously.

Snake girl was fast, moving like lightning as she dodged the slashes of air that cut like knives, stretching and arching her body and limbs in impossible ways to evade all the strikes, but Wind was too fast, even for her.

No matter how the snake girl lashed out, she could not land a single strike of her own. And then Wind became a tornado, encircling her, lifting her up and sucking out her air to deflate her lungs. Gasping, dying, she made one last attack, sinking with her serpentine hands, sinking her fangs into the air that held her and finding no purchase for her venom. She was lost.

Fire lashed its scorching whips out at the red turtle, who evaded them, charging forward to bury his pronged weapons into fire's head, ignoring how the proximity to fire's heat seared his flesh. But Fire was not a physical being and there was nothing but flame to pierce.

The turtle's metal weapons quickly glowed with molten heat burning its hands and causing it to drop them and stagger back. Before the turtle could recover, Fire raised its palms beginning to unleash a gout of flame that would scorch the turtle's flesh to the bone. There was no way it could move in time to save itself.

The purple turtle attempted to strike Earth at first with its stick until the stick shattered on Earth's stone body. Then it tried punches and kicks, but Earth, so solid and enduring, was impervious.

One hand flowed like mud, burying the body of the startled turtle and hardening into rock around the creature's prone form, leaving exposed only its hands at the wrists and head at the neck. The turtle thrashed futilely as Earth raised its other hand in the form of a stone fist and began to slam it down into the turtle's head. There would be no escape.

The orange turtle let his sickle on a chain fly, but it sliced harmlessly through Water. Yanking the chain, back the turtle spun, wrapping the metal links around Water's fluid body. But Water flowed into liquid before reforming as the turtles chain fell harmlessly to the ground.

Fluid flowed forth from Water's ankles spreading across the floor around the turtle's feet. It tried to jump and flip away, but the liquid spread too fast. Tendrils of water flowed up the turtle's legs, encasing it in a bubble of water that flowed against his motion, preventing him from swimming to the edge. Eventually the turtle would drown, but Water was not so patient. Water raised its hand and a hail of ice spires shot forth to impale the turtle's imprisoned form.

The blue turtle battled Metal, who'd formed its hands into matching swords. Their blades clashed as metal mirrored and countered the turtle's every attack. The turtle, though young was powerful and skilled, but Metal was strong as steel and carried the knowledge and experience of countless great warriors.

The tide soon turned towards Metal as he disarmed one sword, then the next, savoring the fight. Before the blue turtle had time draw another weapon, Metal was on it, knocking it to its shell with an iron knee to the gut. Not giving the turtle a chance to regain its wind, Metal slashed both of its hand blades down to take off its hand.

The lizard girl was holding her own against the mechanical opponents until her weapons no longer contained ammunition. She tried battling them off, unarmed and with no small amount of skill, but there were too many and she was overwhelmed. Some pinned and held her while others brought readied their blades to pierce her vital organs.

And with the lizard down, the female turtle knelt defenseless as the more mechanical soldiers descended upon her, to end her threat. His transformation was almost complete. And then time stopped.


	165. Chapter 163: The Flow of Time IV

**The Flow of Time IV:**

 _Lily could have screamed in helplessness and frustration when she was sucked back into the same vision she'd almost just escaped from, although this one took a different path since she'd warned everyone. This time she got to watch everyone she loved die before the world was destroyed. It wasn't going to happen. It was happening. This was the present now._

 _They were here dying while her useless body sat waiting in the lair with Master Splinter, who'd remained to tend to Amaya, while the others, injured or not had charged off to battle. When Venus had heard Lily's vision, she'd announced that they were out of time and the rise of the Dragonlord was upon them._

 _Their only hope was for her to bind him and seal him in Donnie's complete but untested trap. And she'd need everyone to guard her and give her the time to do it. Except for useless Lily who now had to sit and watch the plan the fail, trapped once again with the Shredder in the Dragonlord's transforming body. And now they were all on the point of destruction._

"Stop!" She screamed it with her entire being of body, mind and soul and was suddenly sear by the intensity of some inexplicable force within her tearing its way free. When the pain finally faded, her eyes flicked open and she could see. See! From her own eyes!

She wasn't in the Dragonlord anymore, but she was here at the battle, somehow. Had she teleported? And why wasn't anyone moving? It was as though they were all frozen in place in a horrifying tableau of their impending deaths.

Rushing over to Mikey, she tried reaching into the bubble to pull him out, but it was impenetrable. Then she tried pushing the ice spikes so they wouldn't hit him, but they wouldn't budge. Everything was locked in place. What was the point of this if she couldn't do anything?

With another scream of frustration, she fell to her knees and punched the floor. The cement scraped and the impact sent radiating waves of pain through her nerves straight up to her shoulder. Why?

She couldn't move anyone or change anything. They were all locked in this moment that she didn't even know how to unfreeze. And she could feel him. The Dragonlord. He was consciously aware of what she'd somehow done and was working against it. Eventually he would be free and destroy them all.

And no one would even be able to put up a token defense because she'd stopped time for them. It wasn't fair. Not that anything in her life had ever been. What reason did she have to expect life not to kick her while she was down? It wasn't like it had ever restrained itself before. Lost in self-pity, she didn't even notice the portal open behind her until the hands reached out and dragged her in.

The world around her transformed in an instant and she gasped in fear and wonder. Once, years ago, she'd had a vision of her Aunt Elaine having a root canal, not one of her more pleasant mental trips, but on the wall had been a drawing of crazy stairs going all over the place by some artist named M. C. Escher. This place reminded her of that picture. With her limited experience with vision, that picture had been baffling. Standing in a three dimensional version of it was so much worse.

"Welcome to Null-Time." At the sound of the voice behind her, she spun around to see a short, middle aged man in white and blue robes with the most ridiculous hat ever made. He was holding a scepter with an hourglass on it.

"I am Marcus Sandelheim." Strange creatures floated and drifted throughout the space echoing "Lord Simultaneous" sounding like ravens imitating human speech. The man sighed and shook his head.

"Be careful what nickname you get stuck with it. They'll latch onto anything."

"Uh."

"I will explain everything Lily Howard." She cringed at the sound of that name, feeling moderately queasy.

"I prefer Lily Tilley actually."

"Hmm, so you've taken Brian's name then. Well he is your father after all." What? So Hypnoslug wasn't…

"Well partly. Obviously Arthur Howard was the father of your body, but as things have obviously turned out, Brian was the father of your soul." Nope. Absolutely nothing this guy said was making any sense.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning." Beginning? Was this going to take a while? What about her friends and her world? They didn't have time for this!

"Look, Mr. Sandelheim, I appreciate, whatever it is that you are trying to do, but I don't really have time…" He doubled over laughing, cutting her off midsentence.

"Don't have time? Oh that is funny."

"Funny?"

"Child you time is the one thing you have in abundance."

"Excuse me?"

"Did you not hear me? This place is the seventy ninth dimension of Null-Time. No time passes here and I can return us to your place in time a mere instant from when we left it. You cannot possibly run out of time for anything. Oh, it is good to have a companion again." Companion? At least her family was safe for the moment.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, the beginning. It will be easier to show you." He began to narrate as he opened windows into other times and places with the wave of his staff. She watched in awe as Marcellus conquered this dimension and brought order to it, creating the Scepter of Time. And how he had taken Marcus as his apprentice.

A montage of Marcus's own training flashed before her. And his own disastrous apprenticeship of Savanti Romero. When he moved onto the discovery of his second apprentice, she had to look away and fight not to vomit. The rape and murder the man had spent his life failing to prevent was too near to her own recent trauma. The window rapidly snapped shut.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I probably should have just explained instead of shown that. But obviously your father lived. I saved him."

"My father?"

"Yes. Brian Tilley. That would have been his life had I not taken him on as my heir. Strange fellow Brian. Always did want a family. Said that if he had a daughter, he'd name her Renet after that unfortunate young lady he couldn't save. But despite his oddities he was a good man and a good student."

What? She considered that a moment. Renet Tilley. It had a pleasant sound to it. Much better than Lily Tilley and she certainly wasn't going to be Lily Howard ever again.

"Anyway Lily, uh where was I…"

"Renet." He blinked.

"Pardon?"

"Please call me Renet Tilley." He raised his eyebrows, but nodded.

"As you wish it. So Renet, I will tell you this next part so as not to distress you. I sent Brian on a training mission for a year to observe and understand a particular time in point in history and its influence on the total time stream. But Savanti found and attacked him, gravely wounding him. On instinct, he fled through time to escape."

The window opened again, and a very young version of her mother was nursing Brian back to health.

"That's when he found your mother and fell in love with her. Honestly, I'm not sure what would have happened if he'd still been there when I recalled him at the end of his training mission. He clearly wanted to stay with her and you, but a commitment is a commitment." He'd wanted her, even though she wasn't his?

"He was so devoted, that without even realizing it, he passed the power I'd given him on to you. Quite irregular. No one has ever been born with the power before." Oh God, her visions. Always across time and space. She'd gotten that from him.

"It seems you struggled with it during your life, operating on pure, ignorant instinct. Very dangerous. And yet, with no training at all you managed to control it and come into your full power on your own. That's what called me to you. When you managed to stop time. Astounding really."

Why hadn't her father been there to teach her? To explain? It would have saved her so much suffering.

"What happened to him? Brian?" Marcus's eyes became laden with sorrow.

"Savanti found and killed him." Her eyes blurred with tears.

"Why?" He sighed.

"Greed, ambition, insanity. Although I suppose the third is my fault. Marcellus warned me about making time artifacts. The one he used to make himself immortal has driven him completely mad, leaving only a power hungry demon in his place. If he ever gets loose, it will truly be the end of everything." She stopped.

"Gets loose? You mean he's still alive?" She was trying very hard not to scream at and throttle the little man.

"Well as I said, he is immortal and he used another careless trinket of mine to make himself immune to time magic, so I can do nothing to him save imprison him and even that is precarious." She was trembling with fury now.

"Then don't use time magic to kill him, just stab him or something!" Marcus shook his head.

"It would not take…the immortality…" She growled but conceded the point. There was no alternative that she could think of.

"It's put me in a bit of a quandary actually." Oh, sorting out her father's murderer had inconvenienced him? How terrible that must be for him.

"He might escape if left unguarded, but the time streams must still be protected. I cannot do both. But now that I have an apprentice again, all is well." Apprentice? Did he mean her?

"What?"

"Well you already have the power and a natural capacity to use it. You will be an excellent Lady and Mistress of All Time and Space one day. We can begin your training immediately."

"Wait! No! I have a life and a family. I want to stay with them." His brow furrowed.

"Nonsense. They are all about to die anyway."

"No." Her voice was a whisper this time. He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I'll offer you a deal Renet. I'll show you how to save them and let you do so, if you agree to return with me and train to be the next guardian of time. The time stream without this event is preferable anyway."

She suspected that he might be understating it a bit. Stopping the Dragonlord probably fell under his responsibilities for protecting time. But could she really risk calling his bluff? Her mind returned to the nightmare she'd been pulled from. No, she had to be certain that they were saved. Locking all the joy she'd known with them into a vault within herself she closed her eyes and nodded.

"Excellent." He held his Scepter out to her and she took it. Her jaw fell open in shock as his clothing morphed back into that of a medieval peasant. She looked down at her own clothing and let out a startled 'eep.'

She was wearing a blue one piece bathing suit covered in clocks, with boots, gloves, a cape and a helmet that looked like it was made of discarded junk from Donnie's lab. What was this? Marcus chuckled.

"You twenty-first century Earthlings. Of course you would idolize super heroes. Well we all take on forms we respect and admire. But I didn't think you'd choose a fiction." Oh. She almost burst into hysterical laughter, but managed to catch herself.

"The people in my family are the greatest super heroes ever." He gave that some thought and shrugged.

"I suppose that his not inaccurate. Now come along. There is much to teach you my apprentice."


	166. Chapter 164: Obligation of Heaven X

**Obligation of Heaven X:**

Renet stepped through the portal she'd made with Marcus's help, back to the battle she'd left behind. Her knowledge and skill were rough and rudimentary but would suffice for the task at hand. Marcus had been kind enough to offer the weaknesses of the elementals too. Well kind wasn't the right word since she'd technically purchased that with her own freedom.

The Dragonlord raged against the frozen time, but he wouldn't be able to break free of it. Not soon enough to stop her. She started with Mikey. Loosening the time around him just a little bit, she set him to spin and carefully aimed his kusari-gama. Afterwards, she gently adjusted the aim of each ice spire and then solidified time around her work.

Next she moved to Leo, he was trying to draw a kogatana blade from his wrist wraps, but wouldn't have made it. She relaxed time around his arms and finished the motion for him, choosing his target. Then she pushed the Metal mystic's blades into a different trajectory and locked them both back in place.

Moving on, she approached Donnie next and released time enough around his hand that he could set in motion the flick of the one shruiken he'd barely been able to draw before being struck. She didn't need to change his aim. He had it figured out. Then she pushed the mystic's stone fist aside.

Next she went to Raph. She raised the mystic's hands, then with some effort, ducked Raph down and tilted him forward into a springing position. Then, curling one hand into a fist she set it and his body in motion forward for when timed would move again.

And then there was Karai. All she needed was to reach up and changed the target of her striking hands. Finally, she went to Lisa and Venus. Of the four bringing their blades down to end Lisa, she redirected two of their strikes into the bots holding her and the remaining two into each other.

She did likewise for the six Footbots coming down on Venus, turning their attacks against each other. Of the few Footbots left, she walked the room, changing their motions and positions so that instead of serving their original goals, they would serve hers.

Once done, she took a deep breath and let of her hold on time. It all happened so fast. The ice spires missed him completely as Mikey spun, shooting his kusari-gama out of the bubble of liquid and into Water's medallion.

Metal's swords slashed the empty air above Leo's head as his kogatana flew into its medallion. Earth's fist pounded a hole into the ground beside Donatello's face while he flicked his shruiken into Earth's ceramic medallion.

A gout of flame torched the empty air Raph no longer occupied as he launched forward burying his fist into Fire's medallion. Karai's hand fangs snapped closed on Wind's medallion and every Footbot in the room destroyed one of its comrades so that none remained standing.

The medallions shattered simultaneously and with a howl the elementals were freed, vanishing back to their native demesnes. Without their power, Kitsune and the Dragonlord's transformations began to reverse. Everyone, except Venus, blinked in surprise and looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Mikey caught sight of her and gasped.

"Lily? Woah, nice duds. You look awesome!" She sighed. Only Mikey.

"What happened?" She turned her attention to Leo.

"It turns out I can control space and time." She gave him a nervous grin.

"So you're like…wait I got this…a Timestress!" Mikey interjected and she smiled.

"Apprentice timestress, but yeah, I guess so."

"Lily can you see?" Donnie was eyeing her speculatively.

"Yeah, now that I've got a handle on my power." Mikey ran over and caught her up in an affectionate hug.

"I knew you were a super hero."

Kitsune's growl of rage ruined the moment but bought her nothing as Raph, Lisa and Karai tackled her and pinned her down. That still left the Dragonlord.

* * *

Venus glowed with power and energy as she followed the complex ritual that she knew by a combination of instinct and divine right. Drawing on the chi of the entire world, she wrapped it, like spiritual chains, around the Dragonlord's essence, binding him and tearing him free of the Shredders body, which dropped to the ground like a sack of grain.

She pulled Donatello's trap from the hook on her belt and set on the floor in front of her, dragging the unwilling spirit into it and releasing her hold with a sigh of relief. The Dragonlord bucked against his prison, but it only allowed entrance, not exit. Shaky and drained, she struggled to her feet and smiled at everyone. They'd done it.

* * *

Renet laughed and buried her face into Mikey's plastron. It had worked. The world and her family were safe.

"Renet." She winced at the sound of Marcus's voice.

"Renet?" Mikey looked down at her questioningly.

"It's what the man who should have been my dad wanted to call me, so I'm going with it."

"Renet." He tried it out thoughtfully before smiling.

"I like it."

"You've saved them. It's time." Mikey's bright eyes clouded with worry.

"I have to go with him and learn how to protect time." She hated how crestfallen he looked at her pronouncement. She didn't want to leave him.

"It's not holding!" Everything stopped at the sound of Venus's terrified voice.

* * *

No! The trap wasn't going to hold. She could feel the Dragonlord slowly breaking free. If only they'd had time to test it first. What was she going to do? They'd never get it back to the mirror in time!

"I have a proposal." The strange human man standing in front of an open portal to…somewhere spoke, breaking through her panic. He turned to Lily, or Renet now, and called out.

"Renet, the Scepter." Renet threw it to him, reverting out of her bizarre costume and back into her normal clothing. As the old man caught it, his rough simple outfit became sumptuous blue and white robes with an ostentatious hat.

Using the Scepter, he summoned another human man struggling violently within a prison of frozen time. If Venus hadn't been so concerned about the imminent destruction of the world, she would have been fascinated.

"I'll help you in exchange for your aid." What choice did she have? She nodded. With a wave of the Scepter another portal opened and she gasped. Her brother was there, on the other side, inspecting the restored mirror. He turned to see her with equal shock and confusion.

"Da-Huan?"

"Mei Pieh Chi? What are you wearing?" It was such a ridiculous question that she almost laughed. She answered him in English, rather than Chinese, to ensure no one would be left out of the conversation.

"It's a part of my new life." He frowned in concern.

"That's not important right now. I have the Dragonlord, but his vessel won't hold." Her brother's eyes widened in fear.

"He must be put back into the mirror immediately." They both turned to the old man with the Scepter as he spoke. Her brother shook his head.

"We aren't prepared. It will take time to gather the energy necessary to do that and if I understand my sister correctly, we do not have that time." The old man smiled and gestured to his prisoner.

"He will be your source of energy. He has more than enough, I assure you." Venus gasped. This was the price he asked? He wanted her to kill this man?

"What?" She and her brother answered simultaneously.

"He is demon who will tear apart time and space to make himself a god of all worlds. He has made himself immune to me and I cannot stop him, but he is still vulnerable to your power. So you must choose. Save this world and others from both threats or let these monsters win."

Venus closed her eyes for a moment and sensed the prisoner's chi. It truly was corrupt. She recoiled at the sense of it. How could a being taint itself so thoroughly? Yes, this thing would do unspeakable harm if it could.

"We agree." She answered on behalf of herself and her brother. He trusted her and nodded. Together, they gathered their joint power and reached out into the prisoner, tapping him and trying not to be disgusted by the poisonous feel of his oily life force.

He did have an incredible well of power. How could one being accumulate so much? It was everything they needed and more. With it, they unlocked the mirror and its surface became a liquid pool. In a trance of her own energy, Venus lifted the trap and threw it through the portal and into the mirror, sealing the Dragonlord safely away once more.

Hearing Kitsune's scream of fury, Venus held onto the power and directed it towards the fox spirit. The energy enveloped and transformed her, stripping her powers and making her a fox in truth. She would never conspire to free her mate again. Letting go of the power, the dizziness took over and she felt herself fall, vaguely aware of being caught in Donnie's arms. They'd done it. They'd won.

* * *

Renet smiled when Donnie caught Venus as she fell. The man on the other side of the portal was not so fortunate and sank to the ground with an audible thud. Marcus closed the portal before anyone could suggest helping him and banished the lifeless, immortal husk that had been Savanti Romero back to Null-Time, confident that it was now harmless.

"It is done. They are safe. Now for your promise. Come along Renet." She could feel Mikey's arms tighten around her.

"But…" She raised her hands to his adorable cheeks.

"It's okay."

"But…" She cut him off with a kiss, one she'd been waiting her whole life for and he seemed to melt into her. She had never known anything like and knew that she wasn't about to give this up. Not ever. She'd find a way back to Mikey no matter what. This wasn't an end, but a beginning and promise or no promise, she'd find a way to keep it.


	167. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Umeko smiled as she tied Slash's mask in place, running her fingers along his head and causing him to emit a low rumble of contentment. She knew the others were waiting, but she always cherished these moments with him before their missions. He turned to meet her eyes.

"You ready?" Her friend, her partner, her everything, met her smile with his own.

"Always."

* * *

April flipped through college brochures, looking for something that met her criteria. This one had a good hockey program. Lots of financial aid and scholarship options. And it was local so they could stay close to family. Casey wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind.

"You at it again Red?"

"Someone has to think about the future."

* * *

Angel unpacked another box into the Mutanimals' old lair. Alopex didn't have much in the way of personal possessions, but between what Slash and the others had left and what she'd been able to scavenge, it was turning out to be quite homey. One box wouldn't take long and maybe she could get a nap in, since they were going out with the Dragons again tonight.

She should probably tell Alopex, but it felt more fun to surprise her. Not that Casey's family wasn't great or that she wanted to lose touch with them, but it was crowded and they did kind of cramp her style a little. When she turned eighteen in a few months, she was moving in with Alopex so she could focus on the Dragons and keeping the city safe. She…no they…had a mission after all.

* * *

Karai grinned wickedly as she sparred with Leo in the dojo. It reminded her of the games they'd played when they first met. He was still so easy to throw off balance with the right words or gestures and she loved the contrast his blush made with his green cheeks. Of course he could turn that around on her now and he was quickly getting better at it.

The dojo door slid open and her Aunt Amaya entered. Karai couldn't help wondering when she was just going to move in. She and Leo already suspected where things were going between her aunt and her father. She may as well stop pretending she didn't belong here. Karai sheathed her blade and tossed Leo a knowing wink.

"I think I've had enough. In the mood for some Space Heroes?" There was that blush again. Her favorite blend of colors. But he was grinning. They were both on board with giving her father and Amaya some privacy.

"Sure. I'll go put it in."

* * *

Donnie looked up from his computer as Venus entered the lab.

"Finally got a letter back from your brother?" She smiled.

"The monastery is remote, making mail service not the most efficient." Donnie began to drum his fingers on his desk nervously.

"So…" She smiled and settled into his lap.

"He was surprised, but he's happy for me." He sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her. She cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. This is where I belong." He smiled.

"I know."

* * *

Raph fidgeted in the passenger seat and Mona Lisa had to suppress a chuckle as she drove the roadster through the night. His nervousness was made extra cute by the hat and jacket he wore as a disguise for other motorists.

"Relax. My parents are going to love you." His green eyes narrowed at her telling her just much he was buying that.

"Well they'd better because I'm not giving you up."

* * *

Renet sat at her desk in Null-Time surrounded by stacks of tomes that she was listlessly leafing through. Boring as it was, she couldn't help but smile knowing that she was definitely not the student Marcus had been hoping for.

Willful, rebellious and not especially interested in her training, she was driving him a bit nuts. But that was his own fault for putting her in this position. She'd already lived long enough in lonely, passive obedience. Never again.

With a sigh, she turned the page, knowing she'd brought this massive reading assignment on herself, but the look on Mikey's face when she'd popped into his room, waking him up, had absolutely been worth it. She couldn't wait until the next time she could sneak off with the Scepter. Marcus could punish her all he wanted but she wasn't ever going to stop.

* * *

The Shredder, no Agent Oroku now, looked at himself in the mirror. This would take some getting used to. The Earth Defense Force uniform was unlike anything he'd ever worn. He also wasn't accustomed to having his face so exposed, but he'd never wear the Kabuto again. The Foot clan was done.

Interpol was already well into the process of dismantling the organization that he'd built. And he had a good idea as to the possible sources of their evidence. It didn't matter. That life was over. He could have fought and evaded the authorities. Even with everything they had on him, if he'd wished it, he could have escaped and rebuilt. But instead he'd allowed himself to be taken.

His motivation was buried in a memory of that night when the world almost ended. He'd been saved by the very enemies he'd devoted himself to destroying. It was galling. And task completed, they wouldn't even finish him, leaving him there to his humiliation. Even his daughter.

"Karai!" She'd stopped and turned when he called out to her. He reached for her, his body still mostly unresponsive.

"Daughter." Her eyes had narrowed as she approached.

"I am not your daughter."

"If that's true then end it already." Her gaze softened.

"I'm done with this war. It's cost us everything over and over. You betrayed my father, killed my mother and lied to Aunt Amaya and to me. You twisted my body and mind to your own purposes and have tried to kill everyone that I love. I don't know if I can ever forgive you, but I can let this go. Let it be done. I just want to live now. You should do the same."

With that she'd been gone, ripping away his layers of denial and leaving him to face the bald truth of his actions. His culpability for everything that had gone wrong in his life. It was time to take responsibility and face it. And so he'd let himself be taken. Perhaps serving his time for the things he'd done would earn some measure of atonement.

But true to form, the world didn't want another prisoner. They wanted a weapon. And so he'd been offered a deal. In the wake of the Kraang invasion with the risk of future interplanetary and interdimensional threats, they were not wasting a single resource. He would serve and protect his world in exchange for the pardoning of his crimes.

And he'd agreed to do so proudly, bringing Bradford, Xever, Tiger Claw, Steranko, Zeck and Stockman with him. Even the three Shredder mutants. He still couldn't believe they'd come back to him after everything.

He'd spent so much of his life dedicated to gaining wealth, power and glory for himself. Now he would turn those talents to the defense of his world and in doing earn his family back. Amaya. Yoshi. Karai.

He could do this. He could bear the weight of the things he'd done. Because of the look in his daughter's eyes as she'd turned away. They weren't filled with hatred, but instead held a flicker of love. A bright flame, lighting up his bleak, dark existence. He could do this because she had given him hope.


	168. End Notes

**Note:**

With the exception of some characters that either logically must exist (such as Mona Lisa's parents or Casey's mother) or who do exist, but with little or no details (such as Angel's mother, April's mother or Casey's sister) whose information I needed to invent a bit (though some were repurposed from elsewhere in the franchise), all of the characters are borrowed from the TMNT's more than thirty year franchise.

If you don't know who someone is, you can probably find them on Turtlepedia or the TMNT wiki. I may have made several alterations to the canon of various characters to make them all fit together in the story, but kept as much of their information as in tact as I could manage. I didn't pull much in the way of characters from the movies as they tend to be somewhat self-contained.

The 2012 Nickelodeon series is the foundation of the show and I use the 2012 characters over any other incarnation of them from other media. I also keep true with all the plot lines and events established in the show during seasons one through three (through the episode Deadly New Venom.)

I wanted to go all the way through season three, but at the time of writing this it has been almost two and a half months since they've aired a new episode and I got tired of waiting, so I just have to forged ahead. Now I've finished it and they've still yet to air the next episode. Which is a shame since the next episode should introduce Renet and I really would like their take on her to incorporate into the story. Oh well, I guess I'll be going entirely off the comics for her.

Otherwise, I have borrowed Gabrielle and Shadow Jones (although instead of being Casey's tragic wife who gave birth to Shadow, Gabrielle is Arnold's tragic wife who gave birth to Shadow and thus Casey's mom and Shadow is Casey's little sister instead of his foster daughter but with the Maria Isabella Puzorelli name, I also pulled a bit from Image comics for them), Oroku Nagi (who I repurposed from the Shredder's brother to either his father or uncle, I didn't really specify), Renet Tilley, Lord Simultaneous, Marcellus Timagetus and Savanti Romero from the Mirage comics, Ninjara from the Archie and Radio Comix comic series (as the creation of Dean Clarrain and Chris Allan and the creative property of the TMNT franchise) and Arnold Jones, Angel Bridge, Alopex and Kitsune from the IDW comic series.

I used Mona Lisa, Captain Filch, Dirk Savage and A. J. Howard from the 1987 cartoon series, Venus de Milo, Chung I and Dragonlord (a bit of a stretch as I really only used his name and should be giving more credit to Chinese history/mythology and the Taoist pantheon for his character) from the live action television series and the mystic ninjas from the 2003 animated series.

* * *

To April/Donatello (Apritello, the name mash-ups are so fun) fans and Leo/Venus (Lenus or Veo?) fans, sorry don't hate me. In the 2012 series, I felt that they were really going for Leo/Karai (Lerai or Kareo?) and I know that Raph is usually the backup pairing for Venus, but there were so many possibilities to choose from for him that I went with my favorite, Mona Lisa.

And in the 2012 series, the love triangle between April, Casey and Donatello seems exactly balanced at this point, so I went with April and Casey as their pairing has the weight of the franchise behind them.

With only the 2012 series, I would probably favor April/Donatello (Apritello) because, as Raph says, they are sadorable, but this is kind of a franchise wide tribute. Plus I'm an X-Files fan and I was getting kind of a Mulder/Scully vibe from Venus and Donatello.

* * *

So, as mentioned at the start, this is dedicated to Jack. Having discovered Nickelodeon's latest incarnation of the Turtle franchise, I was hooked. They have done an amazing job, completely doing justice to the most awesome super heroes ever (though I consider the Gargoyles a very close second. Sorry to DC and Marvel, you're amazing, just not Ninja Turtle amazing).

Sadly for me, I caught up with the show, which while incredible does not have the most reliable airing schedule. When confronted with this frustration, inspiration struck and I realized that I could get my Ninja Turtle fix through fan fiction while awaiting more episodes.

And thus I began reading them voraciously. Crack addict might be an apt analogy. So of course Jack had to joke that it was only a matter of time before I ended up writing my own. Seed planted, I began to think about what kind of OC I'd create if I did write one.

Which resulted in Lily who was originally supposed to be a childhood friend of the turtles, but over the course of the story revealed to me that she was in fact Renet Tilley and not an OC at all.

And so I wrote, starting with the 2012 series as my foundation, keeping to it with an almost fanatical attention to detail. Seriously, when re-watching old episodes, if I noticed a character make even an offhand comment about something in their life/and or history that I had accidentally already made up differently, I went back and changed it.

But then, I wanted more characters and so I began borrowing from the comics and other shows to enrich my own plot arc, running parallel to the show. Or sometimes just because. So Peter Laird thinks girl turtles are a creatively bankrupt copout that can never work? Challenge accepted! (If that makes no sense to you, look up the character Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother).

Anyway, hundreds of pages later it had morphed into a massive tribute piece that may have been me biting off way more than I could chew. Also, I may have been unconsciously influenced by Sainan no Kekka, my gold standard for fanfiction writing

Any Gundam Wings fans that have not discovered it should check it out and any non-Gundam Wing fans, who like epic science fiction stories, should use Wikipedia to fill in their Gundam Wing lore gaps should also check it out. So, that's how this happened and I really hope that I did it justice.


End file.
